Beauty and the Beast Trailer: Golden Globe Awards Preview

2017 is already looking up. Emma Watson stars a Belle in Disney's live version of "Beauty and the Beast."

The original story, based on the original French tale "La Belle et la Bête." It was a 1740 story written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve. She was in turn influenced by Fairytale writer, Charles Perrault whose tales include Le Petit Chaperon Rouge (Little Red Riding Hood), Cendrillon (Cinderella), Le Chat Botté (Puss in Boots), and La Belle the wood Dormant (The Sleeping Beauty). If you recall, the Brothers Grimm, retold Perrault's stories years later in their collection of folktales. One must be cautious, however, as the lyrics state:

"Tale as old as time

True as it can be..."

The researchers at universities in Durham and Lisbon, the story originated around 4,000 years ago.

Like the 1991 animated Disney version, certain plot details stray from the original telling in that the main character's name is Belle and not Beauty, and like a 1946 film version, there is also a suitor included in the story. The best part is that Disney will retain  

The best part is that Disney will retain the best part of its animated version...Music!!! 

Harry Potter alum takes over as Belle, the thoughtful and well-read daughter of a merchant who must trade places with him as a prisoner of the dreadful Beast.  "Downton Abbey" and the upcoming "Legion" TV series takes over from Robbie Benson as the Beast. The light of the Force comes to the film as Obi Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor takes over for Jerry Orbach as Lumiere the candle. Mrs. Potts will be voiced by Emma Thompson replaces Angela Lansbury.  Luke Evans of "Dracula Untold," and the "Hobbit" films fame voices Gaston, the self-centered creep who wants Belle for his own.

As a father of two children who spent their pre-teen years in the 90s, Disney's  "Beauty and the Beast" and "Alladin" are two Disney films that played a lot in my household. I guess nowadays that film is "Frozen."  

Alan Menken returns to score this live-action adaptation, which includes new recordings of the original songs in addition to new songs written by Menken and Tim Rice.

Opens in the United States and theUnited Kingdom on March 17, 2017.  

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Family, Fantasy, Musical, Romance

Year:  2017

Starring: Emma Watson, Ewan McGregor, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Emma Thompson

Director: Bill Condon

Producer(s): Don Hahn, David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman, Thomas Schumacher, Jeffrey Silver

Writer: Evan Spiliotopoulos, Stephen Chbosky, Bill Condon
Rating: PG

Running Time: Unknown

Release Date:3/17/2016 

Maleficent: Twisted and Dark -- But All In Good Humor

E very so often, a scriptwriter, or producer or a director feels the need to remake and rewrite a story that has already embedded itself in pop-culture, and that is the case of "Sleeping Beauty.”  Executive Producer Angelina Jolie ("Salt," "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" "Beowulf") stars in this gorgeous rendering of the Giambattista Basile of a girl who is cursed with the magical variety of trypanosomiasis.  Teaming up with veteran Disney Producer Don Hahn ("The Lion King" (1994), "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), "The Nightmare Before Christmas" (1993)) to retell and reimagine the classic tale of "Sleeping Beauty."  The classic stories that we learned and loved as children, and especially via Uncle Walt's Disney's studios, we can be sure we are getting the "family" version of these European folktales.  Keeping with the trend of giving our childhood monsters and villain’s motivation for their evilness, the filmmaker’s goal is to show us the other side of the story.  Angelina Jolie plays the Fairy Queen Maleficent, while Sharlto Copley ("District 9," "Elysium," "Europa Report") stars as King Stefan, and Elle Fanning ("Babel," "Super 8") is the beautiful “La Belle au bois dormant."  Being that "Maleficent" is a Walt Disney Studios distribution, the MPAA gave it a PG rating, and it runs just over an hour and a half.


The story of "Sleeping Beauty" is not quite the true story we heard as children.  That is what the narrator is tells us at the beginning of the film.  The voice speaks of the divide between two kingdoms.  The first is the kingdom of man, with its greed and lust, and the kingdom of the fairies in the moors...  I am always wary of films that start with long expositions.  "Maleficent" does exactly that and my first reaction was to sigh.  I then looked to my left at the kid in the seat next to me, and realized that this story telling method is for the children, not so much for the adults.  I am sure even the young kids who have come to see film with their parents have already seen the Disney's 1959 animated take on the Charles Perrault story from a collection of compiled folktales.  Thus, I think the story-telling motif at the beginning serves the purpose for the children to re-align their concept of the story.  

First time director Robert Stromberg ("Pan's Labyrinth," "The Chronicles of Riddick," "2012," "Life of Pi") drops us into the fairy world which is full of beautiful colors, grand landscapes, and the intriguing Isobelle Molloy as the young fairy Maleficent.  The first twenty minutes or so focus on setting up who the character of Maleficent was "before the fall."  Sweet and free-spirited she flies through the moors with her beautiful set of brown horned wings and introduces the audience to the various gnomes, talking frogs, sprites and the talking and walking trees.  Molloy's portrayal as the young naive and innocent fairy queen is in sharp contrast to the beautiful and malevolent adult fairy that she will become.  Similar in fashion to "Oz the Great and Powerful," we see our main character as she was before a man hurt her and woe to those who forget the axiom, "Hell hath no fury like a woman’s scorn."  The creatures of the moors do not allow men to enter their land; however, they make one exception.  The trees catch a young Stephan (Michael Higgins) stealing from their land.  Maleficent forgives the boy and allows the boy to go on his way.  We see the two become friends and then more.  When Maleficent turns 16, Stefan gives her what he called "true loves kiss."  We all know from "The Princess Bride," there is nothing more potent than true love.  


As the years go by, Stephan returns to the lands of man and pursues his goal of sitting on the throne of the kingdom of men.  The ways of men are greed and desire.  King Henry (Kenneth Cranham) and his horsemen and infantry, lay siege to the moors and now an adult Maleficent comes to defend the creatures of fairyland.  In a short battle scene, reminiscent of "The Lord of the Rings," the tree giants and Maleficent take on the army and mortally wound the king.  In an earlier scene with young Stefan, we find that Maleficent's weakness is iron as it burns her.  She too is wounded when she touches the king's amour.  Jolie's introduction at the beginning of this scene is regal and visually stunning.  Stromberg's strength is his visual style, as he was a visual artist in many fantasy films in the last two decades.  Although there is plenty of action in "Maleficent," there are parts where the pacing is uneven and even slow.  

The story follows as the dying king promises the kingdom to whomever vanquishes Maleficent and avenges his death. Stefan (Copley) enters the moors to warn Maleficent about the king and his bounty, and the two renew their friendship.  In this film, we see Copley's range of characters throughout this film, from a seemingly innocent individual as in "Distrct Nine," to the crazed, paranoid, fighter from "Elysium."  After drugging his friend, Stefan cannot bring himself to kill her, but instead does something worse; he takes her wings.  By leaving her alive but taking her wings, Stefan commits a very personal crime against Maleficent, so much so, that her grief and agony is just as great.  So far the themes presented have to do with man verses nature, or symbolically the iron swords and the ways of men represent industrialism and a sort of sexism, while the fairy folk are the ancient innocent pagan tradition.  Stefan becomes king and Maleficent turns her hurt, her anger, and her pain into a force for vengeance.  Without wings she must walk.  She saves a raven that she turns into a human.  The raven name is Diaval (diablo?) played by Sam Riley.  Now with the prerequisite faithful animal servant (or familiar) the villain can go on her way and do her wicked deeds.  



Diaval is Maleficent's eyes and ears, and one day he reports that the king and queen have a new child, a girl.  As in the 1959, Disney animated version, three fairies show up to give the child some fairy gifts.  Introduced earlier in the film, the three fairies, Knotgrass (Imelda Staunton) , Flittle (Lesley Manville), and Thistletwit (Juno Temple) each give the child a gift, the uninvited Maleficent shows up in all her dark regal glory.  It is hard to present the character of Maleficent as evil when Jolie is so beautiful, but somehow it works.  The film keeps the essential storyline of the spinning wheel and the needle.  However, instead of cursing the child to die on her 16th birthday, it is Maleficent's curse that will cause her to sleep.  A warning about curses; be careful what you wish for.  The Fairy Queen adds "...and nothing can reverse this curse."  

The three fairies trying to take care of a child is adorable, the way Maleficent and Diaval watch over the baby is cute, and the emergence of Aurora as a delicate and graceful young woman is enchanting.  Elle Fanning is everything that Charles Perrault's fairies endowed his storybook princess with.  She is beautiful, angelic, and graceful, and she displays these qualities to the audience and to Maleficent, whom she thinks is her fairy godmother.  Played with a fresh and happy naiveté, Fanning’s portrayal brings new life to a character that has always been a bit too syrupy, but without the toothache.  When Elle and Angelina are on screen, their performances together are at times sentimental and moving  This adaptation of "Sleeping Beauty" greatly reduces the role of Prince Phillip (Brenton Thwaites) to the point of three or short scenes and in two of them, he is asleep. 

As Angelina Jolie plays her character with a dark, twisted villainy, Sharlto Copely plays his even darker and more twisted as he descends into torment because of what he did to his childhood friend, and the ruin he brought to the women in his life.  He still loves Maleficent, and hates himself.  He shuts himself in a room rambling to himself as he "talks" to Maleficent's wings, in the meantime his wife dies, his child has fallen to the curse of sleep, and the now he wants is revenge.  Jolie's character is different; her evilness is tempered with a bit of humor, and is much more sentimental than her character's predecessors.  The ending is different than what we remember, and thus the exposition at the beginning.

The cinematography is splendid, and the visual effects (CGI) are good through most of the film, but sometimes, draw away from the story.  James Newton Howard's score is elegant and majestic.  Nobody breaks into song, however, Lana Del Rey's rendition of Sammy Fain and Jack Lawrence's "Once Upon A Dream" is hauntingly gorgeous.  Linda Woolverton's story has its own twists and turns, as did the stories of "Briar Rose" and "Sleeping Beauty" of the Brothers Grimm who rewrote many Charles Perrault's folktales who in turn took from 16th century poet Giambattista Basile.  Woolverton's changes to the storyline bring it out of the dark and into a new light.  As we all know, Disney stories usually have a dark background.  Uncle Walt sanitized the stories and brought them into line with socio-economic and cultural norms of the times.  Woolverton takes the focus from "the heroes" of the story and in a feminist sort of way puts it directly on the tough as nails, gorgeous badass that is Jolie.  Best of all, Woolverton does away with the absurd romantic notion of love at first sight, and shows the truth; that love develops over time and is cemented by shared interests and respect.


I am not usually fond of Origin-Stories, or Dark Reboots, however; at times, I have been pleasantly surprised.  Calling this story a deviation from the now nostalgic stories we grew up is ridiculous.  Steven Ford of the Orlando Sentinel explains very well the metamorphosis of this story. The story is fine and will entertain children for many years to come.  If anything, deviations in classic stories will open up people’s minds and give new perspectives to how we look at the world.  Either on the big screen or on DVD or Blu-ray, "Maleficent" is a fun entertaining film that will not replace the Disney classics, but will still keep families happy and entertained.

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Romance

Year:  2014

Staring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Isobelle Molloy

Director: Robert Stromberg

Producer(s): Joe Roth

Writer: Linda Woolverton, Charles Perrault, Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, (Erdman Penner, Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, Milt Banta)

Rating: PG

Running Time: 97 minutes

Release Date:  5/30/2014

You're Next ~ Violence For The Love Of Violence

How much do you know about the significant other you bring home to meet your parents?

The movie "You're Next" brings to the screen violence, for the sake of violence, and violence without meaning, and death without honor.  A family reunion turns into a deadly cat and mouse game within a matter of minutes.  Slasher film director, Adam Winegard, gives what horror films seem to want, tension, foreboding, and plenty of blood and gruesome death scenes.  "You're Next" runs about an hour and thirty for minutes and is rated R for extreme violence.

People without morality, make you question not only the human race, but also ask the question; do we, as a species deserve to survive?  "You're Next," answers that question of humanity’s survival from the highest level with a simple no.  Don't get me wrong, I do like a good slasher film.  Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers were my favorite slashers back in the day.  In my mind, these monsters were just that, monsters.  In many ways, the death they perpetrated was like the shark in "Jaws," or the alien in "Alien."  They killed because that is their purpose.

After a quick character sketch of a family getting ready to reunite, we meet our main characters and find them at best bland, and at worst, unlikable.  The family arrives in twos.  Paul and Aubry arrive first.  A couple in their fifties, Paul is played by Bob Moran, and his wife Aubrey is played by Barbara Compton ("The Lords of Salem").  They arrive at their vacation home to get ready for the rest of the family.  Next, to arrive is Crispin (AJ Bowen) and his girlfriend Erin (Sharni Vinson).  Crispin, we find is second oldest of the kids.  The oldest is Drake (Joe Swanberg) and his wife, Kelly (Margaret Laney) arrives the next morning.  We soon discover that Drake is an ass to Crispin, and Kelly is just a bitch.  Later that same night the other two siblings arrive.  Aimee (Amy Seimetz) and her boyfriend Tariq played by low budget horror director of "Cabin Fever 2," Ti West.  The youngest of Paul and Aubry's kids is Felix (Nicholas Tucci) and the dark and mysterious girlfriend Zee (Wendy Glenn).

...and then there were none.

In some ways, the characters names and purpose are irrelevant as they are just ax fodder.  The murders begin at dinner, less than 20 minutes into the flick.  actually, there is an incidental murder of a college professor and one of his students just down the road just to whet your appetite.  Like in the Wes Craven's "Scream," the three killers are masked as a sheep, a tiger, and a fox.  The amount of violence is unnecessary to make the point of the film, which when revealed near the end makes the amount of blood absurd.  Actually, the methods of the murders were too personal.  Instead of just shooting the family, the killers use arrows, a machete, and an ax and knifes.  These are all very personal weapons that belie the hate involved in this film.  Unlike this year's "The Purge," we find "You're Next" to be a cheap version of the home-invasion slasher film.

The acting is stilted and the story is contrived.  In the midst of the group, a hero is exposed.  Erin (Vinson) turns out to have been raised as a survivalist.  Even her boyfriend Crispen doesn't know that little gem of information.  Erin reminds me of "Home Alone" as she sets up traps, she organizes the resistance, and she goes on the offensive.  At a certain point in the film, perhaps around the 45-minute mark, I just wanted everyone to die so I can get out of there.  I am not squeamish when it comes to blood on the silver screen.  I am squeamish when it comes to a bad script.  Screenwriter Simon Barrett's script left me unfulfilled.

We go to horror films to let out those pent up emotions, and for the adrenaline rush.  I felt neither.  I felt sad for the actors in the film.  Why, because "You're Next" will be quickly forgotten.

Movie Data

Genre: Horror, Thriller
Year: 2013
Staring: Sharni Vinson, Nicholas Tucci, Wendy Glenn, AJ Bowen, Rob Moran, Barbara Crampton
Director: Adam Wingard
Producer(s): Simon Barrett, Keith Calder, Jessica Wu
Writer: Simon Barrett
Rating: R
Running Time: 94 minutes
Release Date: 8/23/2012

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Trailer 1

The second installment from author Rick Riordan's series about a modern day son of a demi-god Percy Jackson.

"Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, is an up-coming, fantasy film, and, the sequel, to the 2010 film Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief. It continues, the adventures of Percy Jackson, and, his friends, as they look for the golden fleece, in order to save Camp Half-Blood’s magical borders, from sinister foes."

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation is looking for a US theatrical release date of August 7th, 2013 in the USA

Related

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

Movie Data

Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Year: 2013

Staring: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson, Douglas Smith, Jake Abel

Director: Thor Freudenthal

Producer(s): Chris Columbus, Karen Rosenfelt, Steve Dubin

Writer: Marc Guggenheim, Rick Riordan

Rating: PG

Running Time: 106 minutes

Release Date: 8/7/2013

Gran Torino

Have you met someone you shouldn't have F$#ked with?

I had seen "Gran Torino" when it first came out in theaters: however, I took a second look at this film when it came to DVD, because my initial impression kept haunting me.  I have to say that I liked this movie very much.  I liked the story, a lost young man looking for his place in the world and finding a mentor in the most unlikely of characters.  Filmed on location in Michigan, Clint Eastwood, directed and stars as a crusty widower, Korean vet, detached from his adult children and their families, living out his days in a neighborhood settled mostly by Hmong people.  Newcomers to the screen are fledgling actors, Bee Vang and Ahney Her, plus an appearance by Clint's son, Scott Eastwood has the small part of Trey (as Scott Reeves).  This movie is about change and values, about knowing who you are, and who you want to be.

Walt (Eastwood) uses just about every racist term he can think of in this film.  His new neighbors consist of an Asian family consisting of a grandmother, her daughter, and her daughter's two children, Sue and Thao.  One characteristic between Americans and just about any other race is the matter of family.  Walter "Walt" Kowalski, his two sons, moved out long ago and rarely visit. Walt sits alone on his porch all day drinking beer and eating beef jerky.  On the other hand, his Asian neighbors have family and friends constantly visiting, bringing food and having family celebrations.  The movie focuses on Thao and his sister Sue as second-generation immigrants trying to find a niche in this country.  Thao, around 16, living in a female dominated household, content to read and garden, activities considered in Asian society as "woman's work," is visibly lost.  His sister Sue, a few years older, describes their environment concisely, "the women go to college, the boys go to jail."  Matters worsen for Thao when his cousin, Spider approaches him to join his gang and receive protection from the other gangs.  The initiation to join his Spider 's gang is to steal his neighbor, Walt's 1972 Gran Torino.  Thao botches the auto theft and runs home.  Too dark to see who was trying to steal his prize, Walt is unaware that it is his own neighbor, Thao.  The next evening, Spider and his gang come to give Thao another chance, but the boy's sister, mother, and grandmother interfere.  Spiders, gang of dropouts try to take Thao forcibly.  In the midst of the ruckus, Walt, armed with his army issue M1 Garand comes out "Dirty Harry" style and saves the day.  As the reluctant hero to the Hmong community, his neighbors shower him with gifts of flowers and food, arriving on his porch daily.  Sue, her mother, and Thao insist that Thao repays Walt for trying to steal his car by working for him.  Reluctantly, as Walt does not want anything to do with these people, agrees to the work arrangement and the two of them begin a journey together that make this an excellent movie.  The other character to watch for is Thao's sister Sue, although a stronger, smarter character than her brother, she too is a victim of her environment.

Right away, the acting of two supporting characters will come in question.  I say the supporting cast played their parts strong, and added a depth to the story, the human element.  Bee Vang's portrayal of Thao at times seems awkward, out of place and lost.  Teen-aged boys, growing up without a strong male role model, are awkward, out of place and are certainly lost.  Bee Vang is a natural for this part.

Like the "Dirty Harry" movies, the Spaghetti westerns of Eastwood's early films, or even "Pale Rider," or “The Unforgiven,”  this movie stands out for the journey that each of the character make toward finding themselves.  Walt, Thao, Sue, Sue's grandmother, Father Janovich, and even Spider and his gang.  Each of the characters, making this journey of self discovery ties together throughout the movie by one thing, Walter Kowalski's 1972 Gran Torino.  The 1972 Gran Torino that Walt installed the steering column as it rolled out of the factory.  The Gran Torino that Thao attempted to steal, the Gran Torino that is the envy of the town, the Gran Torino that Walt's inconsiderate granddaughter asks for when he dies.  The Gran Torino that Thao must wash as part of his penitence, the Gran Torino that Walt allowed Thao to drive his first date to the prom in.  In the reading of Walt's Last Will & Testament, the Gran Torino does not go to his granddaughter, Ashley, who is an insensitive brat.  Instead, Walt gives the Gran Torino to Thao.  The Gran Torino gives Thao the opportunity for a new life.  The car, like Walt is an antique, a reminder of the past.

I wanted my kids to see this movie in spite of the swearing and racial slurs.

Movie Data

Genre:  Drama

Year:  2008

Staring: Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang. Ahney Her

Director:  lint Eastwood

Producer(s) Clint Eastwood, Bill Gerber

Writer: Nick Schenk, Dave Johannson

Rating: R

Where the Wild Things Are

The time is now, the place, could be anywhere, Max opens a door with the key of imagination... Well, you get my drift. 

“Let the Rumpus begin!" says Max, our main character of the film adaptation of Maurice Sendak's children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are". The book, written in 1963 comprises no more than 25 pages of, illustrations, and sparse dialog. The star of this not-quite-a-children's-story is actor Max Records, who ironically plays, "Max." Also, starring are the voices of James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara, and Chris Cooper to name the most prominent. My curiosity was how are the filmmakers going to make this very short adventure tale into a feature length film? The Answers: Using the book as an outline, director Spike Jonze, in collaboration with the Maurice Sendak, created a psychological profile of an ignored, temperamental, imaginative, and lonely little 10-year-old boy. I suppose you could see this movie as the, "author's cut" of Sendak's original story.

So it is in the movie, as it is in the book. Max, ignored by his older sister and his mother, seeks attention by throwing temper tantrums. After starting and losing a snowball fight, which he starts, Max goes into his sister’s room and destroys her belongings. Later Max dons a wolf costume and while his mother's boyfriend is over, Max jumps onto the table, embarrassing his mother, and demands, "Feed me, woman!" During a short scuffle that follows, Max bites his mom, who declares him, "out of control." Running off into the night and across the street to a small lake, Max sets sail to the land where the wild things are. Coming to the island, he discovers giant creatures that seem remarkably similar to the stuffed animals in Max's room. The creatures are destroying mound-like dwellings and Max, happily joins in the destruction. Turning on Max, the outsider, the creatures plan on eating Max, but Max bluffs his way out by, declaring himself their king. The group of "Wild Things," Introduce them self to Max starting with Carol, a horned, hairy, and tall creature seems to be the de facto leader of the group, voiced by James Gandolfini. Carol is a lot like Max in that he is temperamental, moody and his need to have his group stay together and live happily is his driving force. Judith, voiced by Catherine O'Hara, is another large hairy creature, whose prominent feature is the horn on her nose and, her "downer" personality playing opposite to Carol's drive for happiness. Between Carol and Judith is KW, voiced by Lauren Ambrose, she has no horns, the loner of the group, and is happy to seek peace on her own. KW's wanting to be away from the group bothers Carol enormously. A reversal of roles takes place and Max is now in the adult position with these creatures are children, with all the fears, insecurities, and immaturity of a 10 year old. If you watch this film carefully, you will notice that each of the characters represent people from Max's life. Too much psychology to go here, however, this movie plays on many levels. Some of those levels are hits and others are definite misses.

One aspect of this film that I found intriguing is the musical score. Karen O and the Kids work hard to bring this movie to life, although the music is catchy, the length of the scenes tends to dampen the musical effect. The fort building scenes go on forever, once again, the music sets a mood, but the action does not carry the scene.

The photography of the Australian countryside, although not breathtaking, is beautiful and so are the special effects. The suit costumes are a refreshing break from the film industry's addiction to CGI. Lance Acord and Spike Jonze, photographed the creatures in such a way that you feel their emotions, and you can empathize with them.

I watched this movie after being told it was not actually a kid's movie. I was not sure what to expect. I think if this film were for children, it would have been better. I think that the biggest disappointment with this movie has nothing to do with the production values or the acting. What was a classic story of imagination and adventure, has become a deep reflection on a child's unhappiness and ultimately our unhappiness that we cannot resolve in finding that our supper is still hot when we return.

Movie Data

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Year:  2009

Staring: James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Chris Cooper, Max Records

Director: Spike Jonz

Producer(s)  John B. Carls, Gary Goetzman, Tom Hanks, Vincent Landay, Maurice Sendak

Writer(s):  Spike Jonze & Dave Eggers

Rating: PG

Planet 51

They're gonna eat us for dinner!

Finding a decent kid's movie today is getting harder as our society changes. A movie, once rated R when I was a kid, is now a PG rated movie now. Here is a film that appeals to kids and adults who take the time to watch with their kids. If you have kids, and you want to watch this movie with your kids, go-ahead do it, you won't be sorry. Dwayne (the Rock) Johnson voices Captain Chuck Baker, yes a white astronaut. Most people would be comfortable if they changed his color but in this movie, color doesn't matter. Jason Long and Seann William Scott voice the other protagonist male leads. Jessica Biel voices the female protagonist lead, and Gary Oldman and John Cleese voice General Grawl and Professor Kipple respectively. The story is a reversal of a 50's sci-fi alien from space movie, with Astronaut Chuck Baker landing on "Planet 51". Science Fiction movie references abound from, "Also sprach Zarathustra" or better known as the theme from "2001: A Space Odyssey," to references to "Star Wars."

This story is a straightforward parody of the 50's, "The Day the Earth Stood Still," with many inside jokes. Astronaut, Chuck Baker lands in an alien planet with 50's-esque culture. Jason Long voices Lem (a play on Lunar Excursion Module) a high-school alien who works at the local planetarium, Neera (Jessica Biel) voices Lem's love interest, and sidekick pals Skiff (Seann William Scott) and Eckle (Freddie Benedict) have their own silly sub-plots. Gary Oldman voices the supposedly evil General Grawl, only to find he is just misguided and a bumbler. Professor Kipple voiced by John Cleese parodies Sam Jaffe's Professor Jacob Barnhardt from The Day the Earth Stood Still. Fearing that this alien spaceman will make them into zombie-monsters, the plot revolves around Planet 51 natives helping the ego centered Captain Chuck Baker and his rock collecting robot sidekick ROVER back to their space ship.

The animation is extremely good, although "Planet 51" is not a Pixar movie but nobody will notice the difference. The voice characterization is acceptable; there is nothing exciting in this department, but they get the job done. The story is cute and entertaining enough to keep you entertained for an hour and a half, but I am glad the directors didn't push it. Overall, "Planet 51" is an above average film, for kids and adults who watch with their kids. Go rent "Planet 51,” watch it with your kids and point out the movie references, the pop culture references, and the music references, its all good clean fun.

Movie Data

Genre: Sci-Fi, Animation, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Year:   2009

Staring:  Dwayne Johnson, Justin Long, Gary Oldman, Jessica Biel, Seann William Scott, John Cleese

Director:  Jorge Blanco, Javier Abad, Marcos Martínez

Producer(s):  Guy Collins, Ignacio Pérez Dolset

Writer:  Joe Stillman

Rating:  PG

Shrek Forever After: Review

R eported to be the last of the Shrek films, "Shrek Forever After" completes the franchise with this charming, but cautionary tale of being careful of what you ask for -- and read the fine print.  Starring the returning voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, and the multi-talented Walt Dohrn providing several voices and stars the film's bad guy, Rumpelstiltskin.  Paramount released "Shrek Forever After," in both a 3D version and a non 3-D version, although purely a personal choice, I would go with the 'non 3D' version.

"Shrek Forever After" provides a quick back-story of how Princess Fiona (Diaz) is cursed, and locked up in a tower by a fire-breathing dragon.  How her parents the King and Queen voice by John Cleese and July Andrews, respectively are about to allow Rumpelstiltskin to trick them into signing away the Kingdom of Far Far Away over to him.  At the last moment, a herald brings them news that Shrek lifted Fiona's curse.

Rumpelstiltskin, with the taste of power in his grasp is now out for revenge on Shrek.  Moving forward to nowadays, Shrek, Fiona, and their three baby ogres go through the day-to-day routines that make up life.  Activities like feeding babies, changing babies, fixing outhouses, and the daily tour bus of fans watching as Shrek takes a mud bath, all of which are driving him crazy.  Looking back at the days as a bachelor, when he could roam free, scare villagers, and have no responsibilities, Shrek longs for those days to return.  At the pivotal scene, after losing his temper at his kid’s birthday party, Shrek makes the mistake that we all sometimes make by saying something he will regret later.  Unbeknownst to Shrek, from behind a pile of garbage Rumpelstiltskin is lurking and hears Shrek's lament.  Shrek, telling Fiona that he wished he never saved her from the tower and lifted her curse; he starts a long and lonely walk home.  Taking advantage of the situation, Rumpelstiltskin lays in wait for Shrek to come down the road and as he fakes an accident with his carriage.  After his 'rescuing,' Rumpelstiltskin invites Shrek in for some food and an ‘eyeballtini,’ loosening him up while talking Shrek into signing over to him a day from his life.  As we all do in life, looking for that easy way out of problems, Shrek signs the contract, laden with many clauses and fine print. Rumpelstiltskin and the carriage disappear, and Shrek is left to figure out what life is like in The Kingdom Of Far Far Away as he was never born.

Not as funny as the first three films, "Shrek Forever After" is still an enjoyable movie to see with the kids during the matinee times.  The story is uncomplicated, and is a play on the It’s a Wonderful World theme, as Rumpelstiltskin says, "how’s that for metaphysical paradox?"  The jokes are mediocre, and missing the same power that the previous films had.  The character that kept the movie going was Rumpelstiltskin voiced by Walt Dohrn.  Dohrn also provided the voice of the Priest and the one of the Ogres.  At the end of the film while taking note of the credits I also noticed that he also contributed screenplay material, was a story artist, and wrote the "Birthday Bash" song that all the characters sang in the film.  Musically the film had plenty to offer in the way of hits; from The Carpenter’s "Top of the World" at the beginning to Maxine Nightingale’s "Right Back Where We Started From" at the end.  The film includes Donkey singing some of our favorite tunes, like Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," and James Taylor's "You've Got A Friend," while pulling the cart with the captured Shrek and doubling as a car radio.  The animation is excellent and need to watch this movie in 3D is unnecessary.

This is a family movie and everyone  will find something to enjoy "Shrek Forever After."  I found the film to be charming and story, although simple, easy to sit through for an hour and a half.  While watching this film, the notion came to mind of a baseball game, after eight innings of play, and you are scoring well ahead of the other team, as a coach, you decide to bring up from the bullpen one of your less experienced pitchers and let him have a go at it.  It seems that DreamWorks Animation decided to just that and selected director Mike Mitchell to have a go at it.  My advice, as I have stated before is to watch the non 3D version, as I don't think it is worth the extra three dollars for the pair of glasses.  I already wear prescription glasses and having placed another set over mine is a hassle.  Take the kids, go to the matinee times in your area, watch the regular version or, if you prefer, the IMAX version and enjoy Shrek for the last time.

Movie Data

Genre: Animation,  Adventure, Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Year:  2014

Staring:  Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Walt Dohrn, Antonio Banderas, Julie Andrews, John Cleese

Director: Mike Mitchell

Producer(s): Teresa Cheng, Gina Shay

Writer: Josh Klausner, Darren Lemke, William Steig (novel "Shrek!")

Rating: PG 

Running Time: 93 minutes

Release Date: 5/21/2010

Published on 5/23/2010 at Associated Content by Robert Barbere