Hotel for Dogs

Hotel for Dogs knows its audience and never tries to be something it's not. This one is made for kids and teens, and any adults who wander into the theater will just have to understand they're not the target demographic and deal with it or leave. Of course the fact the film's loaded with adorable, talented canines will help soothe any adult's ruffled feathers once they figured out they've been duped into seeing a kids' movie.

There's plenty of doggie action in this, with the human actors taking a backseat to their four-legged co-stars. The film contains a couple of important messages, yet there's enough silliness going on to make the message easy to swallow.

The Story

Andi (Emma Roberts) and Bruce (Jake T. Austin) are orphans who've gone through a series of foster homes and are currently housed in the apartment of wannabe rock stars Lois (Lisa Kudrow) and Carl Scudder (Kevin Dillon). Lois and Carl are the sort of people who should never have children – either their own or of the foster variety – but somehow they've been given the responsibility of caring for Andi and Bruce. They seem resentful about this, which is weird and sort of creepy.

Taking a huge risk, Andi and Bruce have been secretly caring for their dog, Friday, a Jack Russell Terrier with a voracious appetite. But one day Friday's luck runs out and he's captured by the dog catchers (boo-hiss!). After Andi and Bruce bribe their way into getting him back, they realize there's no way they can keep caring for him in their apartment. Andi tells her young brother that it's just not fair to Friday to not be part of a real family (the family theme is the rope that ties this story together).

As Andi and Bruce debate what they should do about Friday's housing situation, the answer presents itself in the form of a nearby vacant hotel. Two dogs that Bruce, against his sister's wishes, names Lenny and Georgia are already using the once grand hotel as a temporary home, and Friday quickly joins their pack.

Andi and Bruce decide they have no choice but to not only take care of Friday but also his new friends. That decision soon leads to the siblings taking in every stray they can round up in the city. They're joined in their mission to protect the strays by a cute pet store employee named Dave (Johnny Simmons) who's interested in dogs and Andi, and Dave's co-worker Heather (Kyla Pratt), a firecracker who wants to dig in and help as well (even though it leads to her stepping in more than her share of poop). The threesome soon turns into a fearless foursome when Mark (Troy Gentile), a kid from the neighborhood, joins the merry band of animal rescuers. Together they take care of dozens of dogs left homeless for various reasons until their activities are exposed and the dog catchers look to shut them down.

The Acting

Emma Roberts and Jake T Austin lead the human cast and are fine, as are the film's other two-legged teen actors Simmons, Pratt, and Gentile. Kudrow and Dillon take their characters way, way over the top, but that's also okay as they – and the dog catchers – are the film's villains. Kicking the acting up a notch is Don Cheadle as Andi and Bruce's social worker who truly cares about the welfare of the two orphans. But truthfully, none of the human acting matters much in Hotel for Dogs. This is all about furry, four-legged thespians, and to a dog they are terrific.

The Bottom Line

The character Bruce is an inventor who would make MacGyver turn green with envy. Bruce comes up with dozens of inventions meant to keep the dogs happy and to help make caring for them easier. Bruce invents an assembly line for feeding the dogs, a poop platform for taking care of those needs, and a gorgeous fire hydrant pee station that keeps itself clean. Other inventions include a ball launcher, machines to knock on doors to keep the dogs occupied with barking, and the pièce de résistance – a room in which dogs can sit in car seats and hang their heads out the windows while fans blow their fur and outdoor scenes flash by on screens. All of this looks fantastic on the screen and dog-lovers will get a real chuckle out of each and every creation.

The hotel set is also a key player in the film and the set designers have outdone themselves with this dilapidated hotel filled with odds and ends left behind by the owners and former guests.

Hollywood's going to the dogs and because I'm a sucker for dog movies - happy dog movies in particular – I'm okay with this new trend. Hotel for Dogs puts the plight of homeless animals front and center, and hopefully it'll cause younger viewers to stop and think about the thousands of animals in shelters looking for homes. It does raise the ugly issue of euthanasia, but it counters that by talking about no-kill shelters.

Hotel for Dogs does blur the message when it shows off cute puppies and talks about adoption. Showcasing puppies available after the audience has spent an hour and half getting to know adult dogs in need of families is a two steps forward, one step back approach to the subject of pet adoption. But overall, Hotel for Dogs sends out a positive message about animals in need. Plus, it's a cute movie for kids, teens, and yes, even adult dog-lovers who don't care too much about the quality of the acting other than that done by the dogs.

GRADE: For the canine stars, the message, and the set design, B+. For the human actors, C+. Overall, it's a B.

Hotel for Dogs was directed by Thor Freudenthal and is rated PG for brief mild thematic elements, language and some crude humor.

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He's Just Not That Into You

What started as just a catchy line of dialogue on HBO's Sex and the City turned into a self-help book and is now a feature film loaded with recognizable names. He's Just Not That Into You is a romantic comedy that dissects the signals we put out as we interact with each other via the computer, over the phone, in text messages and emails, and in person. This star-studded rom com explores how we misread those signals and how we twist them to fit into square pegs when we know deep down they're meant for round holes (double entendre completely unintentional).

Following multiple interconnected storylines, He's Just Not That Into You illustrates the differences in how men and women approach relationships, and how technology – cell phones and email in particular – has affected and complicated the dating scene. There's a lot of relatable material in He's Just Not That Into You for singles still looking for love. And for those done playing the dating game, this film will make you count your blessings.

The Story

Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin) wants a boyfriend in the worst way. She's desperate but optimistic, attractive but needy. Conor (Kevin Connolly) goes out on a date with Gigi, but lusts after the gorgeous Anna (Scarlett Johansson) who strings him along, using him whenever there's a lull in her love life. Anna is actually interested in Ben (Bradley Cooper) who is married to his college sweetheart, Janine (Jennifer Connelly), who is obsessed with renovating their home. Janine works in the same office as Gigi and Beth (Jennifer Aniston). Beth has been dating Neil (Ben Affleck) for seven years and is no closer to hearing him pop the question than she was on their very first date. Add into the mix Conor's friend Alex (Justin Long) who manages a restaurant and bar and dispenses startlingly candid love advice to Gigi who winds up at his bar hoping to bump into Conor who - of course - never called her after their first date. Also throw in Mary (Drew Barrymore), a lovely single woman who works at a gay magazine where she learns important lessons from her gay co-workers (played by Wilson Cruz, Leonardo Nam, and Rod Keller).

He's Just Not That Into You finds all the above mentioned women either struggling with dating, struggling with married life, struggling with commitment, or simply struggling to figure out the opposite sex. Nothing else matters in the world of these He's Just Not That Into You women. Dating is life and love is the ultimate goal everyone is trying so hard to obtain - no matter the price.

What I Was Into

As with most relationships, my relationship with He's Just Not That Into You has its ups and downs. I love the acting – there's not a bad apple in the bunch. And all the dating dilemmas and 'does she or doesn't she like me enough to go out with me on a second date' questions are covered convincingly in all their uncomfortable glory. The idea of picking out specific words or sentences and analyzing them to death over coffee with friends after a date…well who hasn't repeatedly replayed the juicy details of a first date looking for any sign that he/she could possibly be someone special? And who hasn't repeatedly checked their cell phone or home answering machine to see if maybe just maybe you missed that important day after phone call? The same goes for obsessively checking for email or a text message. It's sad and funny and so very, very truthful, and the film nails that stomach-churning feeling of rejection and dejection.

Drew Barrymore, who also served as producer and who deliberately took one of the smaller roles in the film, delivers a monologue that's a spot on analysis of how technology has impacted communication. It's one of my favorite moments in the film when Barrymore as Mary wails over the fact nowadays we have to check a half dozen different outlets just to find out if someone's trying to reach us.

…And Just Not That Into

The scattershot approach to storytelling doesn't do justice to any one storyline, making it nearly impossible to care much about any particular character. Had a couple of the leads been snipped out, He's Just Not That Into You might have felt more like a lasting love affair than a forgettable one night stand. Also, there's not nearly enough laughs over the course of the two hour running time. And on that subject, two hours actually feels like three hours by the time the movie – and the relationships it features – reach their conclusions. I also felt cheated by how a couple of the storylines wrap up, including one with a character that does a complete 180 when having him stand by his principles would have been a much, much more satisfying way to end his story.

The Bottom Line

As much as everyone involved wants to distance themselves from the chick flick label – which is actually not an offensive term in my book – He's Just Not That Into You is almost strictly for women. If you're comfortable including yourself in at least one of these categories, you might be interested in He's Just Not That Into You:

1) If you're looking to be in a relationship and can empathize with anyone in the same boat; or

2) If you spend at least 75% of your waking hours obsessing about someone you want to date or someone you've already dated but don't know if you connected with; or

3) You're fine sitting through a movie single-mindedly focused on dating issues with no additional character development.

If you can't plug yourself into above categories, He's Just Not That Into You is just not for you.

GRADE: B-

He's Just Not That Into You was directed by Ken Kwapis and is rated PG-13 for sexual content and brief strong language



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Hannah Montana the Movie

I'm not now nor have I ever been a fan of the TV series Hannah Montana. I tried watching an episode once just to see what all the hoopla was about but couldn't make it through the entire 30 minutes. But that's okay because I'm not part of the key demographic Disney's targeting with Hannah Montana. Pre-teens are who the series is meant to please, and that's the same audience that should go gaa-gaa over Hannah Montana the Movie.

Hannah Montana the Movie is cute, non-offensive, has an 'important lesson' and some catchy tunes. Never mind the storyline or some of the sketchy performances (yes, I'm talking about you Tyra Banks), this Hannah Montana movie is what it is, and taken in that context it's not all that bad.

The Story

As with Clark Kent and his glasses, all it takes is a wig and some trendy clothes to makeover normal teen Miley Stewart (Miley Cyrus) into pop star Hannah Montana. Forget that Miley and Hannah look exactly alike – Miley's face is very distinctive. Forget that any teen with a brain could figure out they share the same voice. Nobody knows Miley and Hannah are one in the same in this happy make-believe universe. And in this universe, Hannah's a big deal and Miley's getting too big for her britches or so says her dad, Robby Ray (Miley's real dad Billy Ray Cyrus).

In an attempt to puncture Miley/Hannah's over-inflated ego, Robby Ray tricks her into returning to Tennessee for her grandmother's birthday. And not only is Miley forced into taking time off when she'd rather be in New York, things get really traumatic when dad tells her no more Hannah. That of course puts Miley in a huff, but the GQ model working as a cowboy (Lucas Till) at grandmother's ranch helps Miley get her mind off of no longer being a superstar in teen circles. But - and here comes the big lesson part - Miley's little Tennessee town needs to raise $500,000 or else a mall will go up where family-owned stores now stand, so it's up to Miley to discover what's really important while helping to save the small town.

The Cast

Miley Cyrus is fun to watch. Okay, so right now I wouldn't call her the heir apparent to fill Meryl Streep's shoes, but the camera does love her. As for the rest of the cast, Miley Cyrus' co-stars from the Hannah Montana series don't have much screen time, other than Billy Ray who's fine playing the part of his real daughter's dad. Newcomer Lucas Till's sure to gather quite a following and might even make some Hannah Montana fans take up horseback riding on the off chance guys like him really do hang around barns.

The Bottom Line

I have to admit that I wasn't all that enthused about taking in a screening of a Hannah Montana movie. I know, it's my job, which is why I bit the bullet and saw the movie. But reviewing a film with such a specific, hard-core audience is a tough task for someone who is so not into the source material – and not conversant with the ins and outs of the Hannah Montana world. Yet I found myself caught up in the pure, joyful sort of innocence of the story. Granted, it's a story that doesn't make a lick of sense to the outside world (meaning the world inhabited by everyone who doesn't watch Disney TV). But seriously, it's a Hannah Montana movie - it's not Shakespeare.

The 9 year old Hannah Montana expert I took with me to the screening said it was better than she thought it would be, which perfectly echoes my reaction to the very kid-friendly film.

GRADE: A- for the choreography and the presentation of the songs + C for the overall acting + C- for the believability of the script = B- (at least to my mathematically challenged brain)

Hannah Montana the Movie was directed by Peter Chelsom and is rated G for all audiences.

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Gran Torino

Sometimes I really think critics, maybe unknowingly, buy into the hype surrounding a film and thus are inclined to view it in a more positive frame of mind than if they'd heard nothing about the movie going into a screening. This may just be the case with Gran Torino, an okay film that has a few moments of brilliance but for the most part is a mediocre drama.

If it weren't for the fact it hit theaters in a few cities in time for awards consideration and had generated 'award-worthy' talk before many even saw the film, Gran Torino might have gone quietly in and out of theaters without much fanfare at all. It's not the masterpiece of acting you'd want from Eastwood if in fact this is his last film, and it's certainly not his best film as a director.

Of Clint Eastwood's two films from 2008, Changeling is by far the better piece of work. Angelina Jolie delivered a compelling, intense performance as a mother whose child goes missing and who is mistreated and lied to by the LA police in an effort to make their department look better. Eastwood only directed Changeling and his care and attention behind the camera is evident in every frame of that dynamic drama. I wouldn't venture to presume dividing his time behind the camera and in front of it as the main actor – and one of the few lead characters with acting experience – is what makes Gran Torino feel less than the professionally polished project normally associated with Eastwood. But there is definitely something off about the film. It's not just the fact the story feels dated or the fact Eastwood's channeling Dirty Harry again (much older and retired, but just as ornery) that gives Gran Torino a missed opportunities vibe. There are so many little problems that plague Gran Torino that it's difficult to take it seriously.

The Story

Eastwood stars as Walt Kowalski, a cranky racist introduced to the audience on the day of his wife's funeral. How cranky is he? Walt's sons don't even like hanging around the old guy. He doesn't filter his thoughts and feelings. Whatever he thinks, he says, and it doesn't matter one iota how racist or inappropriate his opinions may be. Walt's a Korean War vet who's retired from Ford after years of putting together automobiles and now that his wife's passed away, he's all alone in the home in which they raised their children. Overall Walt's lived a long and full life, but it's some sort of miracle that he hasn't been murdered by one of the many people he's insulted over the years.

Walt's racism runs deep, and he's unafraid of calling his neighbors every possible hateful word you can use to describe someone of Asian descent. He despises the fact most of his neighbors are now Hmong immigrants and he rails at them whenever one gets within earshot. Yet despite what can only be described as deep-set hatred for anyone not a WASP, he begins warming up to the teenage Hmong girl who lives right next door. After saving her from gang bangers, he begins a weird friendship with her that eventually expands to include other members of her family, in particular her younger brother. When a local Hmong gang threatens the family, it's Walt who stands up for the same people he spent years putting down.

The Acting

Eastwood is a fine actor and, truth be told, it's hard not to take into account all of his past work in evaluating his performance as Walt. His reputation can't be ignored. I, along with millions of moviegoers, appreciate what the 78 year old Oscar winner's accomplished in front of the camera over the last five decades. But I think it's a shame this role is the one he's ending his acting career with. It's not his finest hour. Grumbling and mumbling and yelling…maybe I could get past that if the rest of the story's developed enough to make up for it and if Eastwood was doing something we haven't seen before. But the plot didn't counterbalance the grumbling and Eastwood's not doing anything new here.

Ahney Her and Bee Van, the newcomers who consume most of the time onscreen alongside Eastwood, tackle their first real acting gigs with Gran Torino and the result is less than pleasing. Her and Van are trying hard and you can tell. Eastwood was going for realism in his casting of the main Hmong roles, and it's to the detriment of the film that he wound up with two actors who needed more training before jumping into such pivotal parts. Their acting at times is amateurish. Lines are delivered as if read straight from the page and it's distracting.

The Bottom Line

Walt's constant use of ethnic slurs gets old, but it's what the character's all about so it does make sense even if it's uncomfortable. But what doesn't make sense and what really pulled me out of Gran Torino was how this retired autoworker all of sudden becomes this crime-fighting, physically skilled do-gooder.

Walt's in his 70s and yet he has street punks scared to death of him, even after he puts away his gun. He's old; he doesn't look like a weightlifter. He's not buffed up in the least, so why are these young men (who are in great shape) shook up by his very presence? The gravelly voice isn't that intimidating. If you or I met up with an elderly man rasping at us and calling us by names that won't be repeated here, we'd be angry and ready to kick some serious old guy butt. But not the thugs in Gran Torino. When Walt 'races' off of a porch, grabs a 200+ lb gang member, throws him to the ground and proceeds to punch him in the face, the guy doesn't even fight back. Huh? How does that happen? Clint Eastwood played Dirty Harry but Walt's not Dirty Harry. Not once do we see any indication in the film that Walt's ever worked out since his days in the Korean War yet he can take down a much younger, much stronger, and much more inclined to violence gang member like he's wrestling with a small sack of potatoes.

Gran Torino also seems to have a hard time figuring out exactly how it wants the audience to react, which means as an audience member I was left confused over the message. I was also confused over the film's shift in tone and left completely nonplussed by the weird twist near the end. Gran Torino didn't do it for me and I'm still wondering what it is everyone else sees in Eastwood's performance that earns it such high accolades and awards nominations. I never once saw Walt – I always saw Eastwood…or an elderly Dirty Harry.

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Ghosts of Girlfriends Past

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is a spirited twist on the Dickens story A Christmas Carol that had me laughing more than any other comedy released (thus far) in 2009. It's smart, charming, sticky sweet in places, and it's got a bit more of a bite to it than most romantic comedies. Plus, it has Matthew McConaughey playing a total cad, a role which the rom com veteran was able to slip into quite nicely.

Definitely one just for the ladies, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past hits theaters the same day as Hugh Jackman's X-Men Origins: Wolverine. It's a good, strategic move to place Ghosts opposite a film that skews toward the men as women won't feel bad about leaving their males to fend for themselves while they take in this above average chick flick.

The Story

Connor Mead is a professional photographer who likes his women beautiful, easy, and not too clingy. Connor's got no desire whatsoever to settle down having learned at a young age from his now deceased playboy uncle, Wayne (Michael Douglas), that there's no need to settle for one fish when there's so many in the sea to choose from. Connor's a one night stand kind of guy who has no intention of changing.

But as in A Christmas Carol, someone needs to learn a hard lesson and in this rendition of the classic Dickens story it's Connor's turn to take a romp through his past, get a peak at the present without anyone knowing he's there, and see what the future holds in store for him if he doesn't change his ways. All this happens after he gives his baby brother one of the worst rehearsal dinner toasts ever uttered by a human being. Uncle Wayne appears, tells him to pay attention to three spectral visitors, and wise up before it's too late. Uncle Wayne was a party animal to the end, which Connor appreciates and emulates, but he died a lonely man because he never found love. Wayne doesn't want that to happen to his nephew and is willing to go to great lengths to make sure Connor's eyes are opened to the possibility of romance and true love.

The Cast

Matthew McConaughey has done his share of romantic comedies, most recently a generic rom com that didn't sit well with audiences (the disappointing Fool's Gold). But Ghosts of Girlfriends Past steps outside the cookie cutter mold and lets McConaughey pour all of his considerable charm into the role of a player who, despite his raffish behavior, is deep down a guy who wants to be in a relationship - although it takes three ghosts to get him to recognize the fact.

Jennifer Garner, also a veteran of the genre, is the perfect yin to McConaughey's yang. Garner's Jenny (the only woman Connor ever lasted more than a few days dating) is solid and responsible. McConaughey's Connor's got a devil may care attitude and is completely unreliable. Both actors fit snugly in these roles which seem taylor made for their talents. And they have a surprising amount of chemistry - I would never have pictured these two together prior to Ghosts but it actually works well.

The supporting cast includes Breckin Meyer as McConaughey's monogamist brother who is the only one that wants Connor around for the wedding, Lacey Chabert as Meyer's bride-to-be who gets into bridezilla mode as Connor screws up the wedding plans, and Noureen DeWulf as Connor's patient, long-suffering assistant - the one female who doesn't succumb to Connor's charms. All are given their moments to shine, but it's Emma Stone as the Ghost of Girlfriends Past who absolutely steals this film away from everyone, including McConaughey and Garner. When Stone's on the screen, Ghosts is at its brightest and funniest. As an over-the-top, lost in the '80s dynamo, Stone chews up the scenery and makes the best of every single second of her screen time.

The Bottom Line

Timing-wise, the beginning of May isn't a bad time to drop a romantic comedy into theaters. But it is a little strange that this one has Christmas release written all over it and yet we're seeing it at the start of summer. The snowy setting is understandable as it's a take off on A Christmas Carol and in fact one of the most memorable lines from the film involves McConaughey waking up after his ghostly visits, throwing open his window and yelling down to a boy shoveling snow - a scene lifted from A Christmas Carol - but the boy's response is priceless and unique to Ghosts.

Yes, this is a boy meets girl, boy loses girl (actually boy leaves girl), and boy tries his best to get girl back story. But there's more to it than that. The writing is impressive and snappy, and McConaughey and Garner make for quite an onscreen team. Director Mark Waters (Freaky Friday, Mean Girls) keeps the tone light even when the subject matter turns heavy. Waters doesn't let Ghosts of Girlfriends Past take itself too seriously, while at the same time he never plays down to his target audience. We don't see McConaughey roaming around needlessly shirtless. The jokes aren't cheap and don't come at the expense of a generic romantic comedy supporting player.

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past goes from lightheartedly fluffy comedy to a bittersweet tale of love lost and love found without ever turning sappy. Ghosts of Girlfriends Past is fun, fast-paced, and a refreshingly different sort of romantic comedy.

GRADE: A-

Rated PG-13 sexual content throughout, some language & a drug reference

Release Date: May 1, 2009

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Fired Up

bout halfway through Fired Up, the totally inept cheerleading comedy directed by Will Gluck, the characters in the film sit down for a screening of Bring It On!. They know all the words and repeat them in a reverent whisper as they worship at the altar of arguably the best teen cheerleading comedy. As the camera pans back and forth between Bring It On! and the Fired Up crowd, sitting in a darkened theater surrounded by actual high school cheerleaders it was impossible for me not to wish for the ability to stop the camera from ever returning to Fired Up.

Oh, the wicked sense of humor first time feature film director Gluck and screenwriter Freedom Jones have! Surely they laughed manically after putting together the film knowing full well how painful it was going to be for the audience to be teased with that glimpse of a much, much better film of the genre and then slammed back into the madness and mess that is Fired Up.

I actually was under the mistaken belief going into the screening of Fired Up that this film with the flimsiest of plots (think Wedding Crashers but without the laughs) was about college students. I must have just tuned out the part of the trailers that stressed this was a movie about high schoolers. Maybe it was the fact the lead actors, Eric Christian Olsen and Nicholas D'Agosto, are way out of their teen years that threw me off. Olsen is 31. D'Agosto is 28, but could maybe pass for a high school senior in a pinch if there weren't any teen actors out there capable of tackling a starring role in Fired Up. But, based on what I saw onscreen, anyone who'd ever graced the stage in a high school production could have handled his part. It wouldn't have mattered. The dialogue and direction sabotaged any chance any actor would have had in making this movie work.

The Story

Olsen and D'Agosto play Nick and Shawn, two horndog football players who decide to pass on football training camp in the hot desert and attend cheerleading camp instead. There will be hotties galore, plenty of opportunities to score, and they won't have to put up with a football coach who says sh*t so often that he's a walking drinking game.

So they make it to cheerleader camp after convincing their school's squad that by golly they DO like handsprings and splits and basket tosses more than tossing around the pigskin and getting hammered by big guys in shoulder pads. The only one not really buying into their act is Carly (Sarah Roemer, Disturbia). Carly's the head cheerleader and even though her squad sucks – they always finish dead last in competition – she's leery about Nick and Shawn's motives.

Because Fired Up does nothing to break out of its totally generic plot bubble, Shawn falls for Carly who, despite being the smartest girl at the cheerleading camp, has a douchebag for a boyfriend. 'Dr. Rick' as he calls himself because he's in med school (yes, that's the level of jokes in Fired Up) is blatantly obnoxious and using Carly (even a toddler could figure that out), but she is blind to his faults. Meanwhile, Nick's hot for teacher. And then it all wraps up with people learning lessons and everyone competing in the big cheerleading competition, which, by the way, is horribly shot so even that aspect of the film is totally unsatisfying.

The Cast

Olsen and D'Agosto can't rise above the script, although they do at least seem to have tried their best to bring this turkey to life. Both have great comedic timing and as a buddy team, they would do well in a film that actually allowed them to be real people rather than just caricatures of teen movie types. Roemer's fine though she doesn't have much to do. John Michael Higgins' funny performance as the head of the cheerleading camp is just wasted in this mess. And Molly Sims, as Higgins' wife and the teacher who Nick sets his sights on, is not given anything to do other than look pretty. No one else in the cast makes enough of an impression to deserve a mention.

The Bottom Line

This film's full of quips and lines obviously written down and recited on cue. There's not a natural bit of dialogue in Fired Up. It's also loaded with pretty young girls with perfect bodies who apparently sleep with any member of the opposite sex who hands them a line. Fired Up is definitely not about female empowerment. And as if making all the female characters look like easy bimbos wasn't bad enough, Fired Up shows us that these cheerleaders have no self-esteem, no winning attitude, and are totally lost without two football players moving in on their turf and turning their lives around.

And I just have to get back to this age issue one more time because it bothered me while I was suffering through the screening. At least twice Olsen makes cracks about Molly Sims' age. In reality, they are just a couple of years apart. Making it worse, Olsen and Sims look the same age onscreen. It's just bizarre to me that after hiring Olsen for the role, the age jokes weren't just cut out of the script.

Because it's 'cute', the cheerleaders repeatedly chant FU and that's supposed to be funny. It's also supposed to be funny that all male cheerleaders - except the two football players masquerading as cheerleaders - are gay. And a coach who cusses (but doesn't use the f-word – this is only a PG-13 film) is also the height of hilarity. Are we really this hard up for comedy that Fired Up's tired jokes make us laugh? Please let the answer be no. Avoid Fired Up and rent Bring It On!. You'll save yourself a headache.

GRADE: D

Fired Up was directed by Will Gluck and is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content throughout, partial nudity, language and some teen partying.

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Fighting

See Fighting for the fight scenes and you're bound to be disappointed. A better title might have been Talking as fighting plays second fiddle, maybe even third fiddle, in this gritty tale set in the world of New York street fighting. Written and directed by Dito Montiel and starring Channing Tatum - their second collaboration (the first being A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints) - Fighting is more interested in who its characters are and their motivation for taking to the streets, than it is in living up to the audience's expectation of action.

While fighting dominates Fighting's trailer, it is not the focal point of the film itself. This one's more about the struggles of two troubled men, and that may make those who came just for the action sequences impatient and antsy. Montiel doesn't rush through the story and those wanting basically a MMA match onscreen are barking up the wrong tree - actually, they'll find themselves sitting in the wrong theater.

The Story

Tatum plays Shawn MacArthur, a recent transplant from Alabama to New York who gets by selling questionable items at a make-shift stand on a NY street. Terrence Howard is a much more street-wise and savvy hustler named Harvey who sets his pack of no-gooders on Shawn, snatching up the small amount of money he earned and sending potential customers scurrying away. Shawn doesn't take this invasion of his sales space lying down, and delivers a beating on Harvey's young cohorts that sets Harvey's mind to spinning. It's easy to see Shawn's got fighting skills and this makes Harvey think twice about the kid they just robbed.

Channing Tatum and Zulay Henao in 'Fighting.'

© Rogue Pictures

Sure that Shawn has a future in the underground world of high stakes street fighting, Harvey - fairly easily - convinces Shawn to let him set up some fights so they both can earn some decent cash. The catch: the loser of these fights walks away with nothing but a broken body. Only the winner is paid off, but that pay-off can be huge. Shawn goes for it as he's desperately in need of lots of money. Why? we're never really let in on that answer.

Although Shawn's a bit of a hot head with father issues, he's also got a softer side to him which is revealed in his courting of Zulay (played by Zulay Henao). Shawn acts the gentleman, even dealing with an overprotective grandmother (the scene-stealing Altagracia Guzman) who doesn't want a guy who looks like a hoodlum anywhere near her pretty granddaughter. But when he's fighting, Shawn's single-mindedly focused on pummeling his opponent, using mixed martial arts moves and any available handy object that could inflict some damage.

Harvey sets up fights, Shawn does his thing, and they're both on their way to the biggest payday of their lives. But of course there are obstacles blocking their path to the fight of Shawn's life. Some obstacles present themselves in the form of managers of their opponents; some are inner demons they have yet to face down. And because this isn't just about fighting, there's a lot of talking that has to be done and a lot of deep thought must take place before the big showdown can occur.

The Bottom Line

Channing Tatum and Terrence Howard are a formidable onscreen team, and Zulay Henao isn't just a pretty face in the male-dominated production. Montiel gets the best out of Henao and Tatum (Saints is still Tatum's best work to date), but it's Howard that holds this film together with his performance. Howard's Harvey is a hustler who knows his limits and a guy who lives by an interesting code of ethics. Howard is quietly contemplative in moments where other's would have taken the character big, and in that restraint Howard shows just how talented he is.

There's a natural flow to the dialogue that suggests most of what's spoken on screen was improvised. Conversations sound like real conversations. There are mistakes in wording, moments of silence as characters collect their thoughts, and some lines are stumbled over and mumbled through. The quieter moments in which Shawn talks with Harvey about his background and his needs, or when Shawn tries to work his way into Zulay's life by playing nice with her grandmother, make it feel as though we're flies on the wall in apartments of real people. Nothing's rushed. The dialogue isn't there just to feed the way into another action scene.

Terrence Howard and Channing Tatum in 'Fighting.'

© Rogue Pictures

While the dialogue was stellar and the acting was terrific, the actual storyline left a lot to be desired. There are gaps in logic throughout the film that are never plugged. When does Shawn work out? He looks cut, but the only time we see him do anything to get in shape is a brief segment on a deserted train in which he does a few minutes of exercise. Also, the first fight scene is more like a dance than hand-to-hand combat and it looks staged. On the other hand, the final fight is down and dirty and ruthlessly violent and almost painful to watch. The contrast between the two is astonishing, and Fighting would have been a better film had Montiel captured all the action the way he did in the film's big action showdown.

GRADE: B-

Fighting was directed by Dito Montiel and is rated PG-13 for intense fight sequences, a sex scene and brief strong language.

Theatrical Release Date: April 24, 2009

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'Fast and Furious'

Fast and Furious features the foursome who starred in the first film of the car-crazy franchise, The Fast and the Furious, back together again for the first time since that 2001 hit. But the fact Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster reunite for this third sequel isn't enough to make this latest Fast movie outgun the previous three films. Unfortunately for Fast fans, this one runs out of gas early on, hits speed bump after speed bump in its mid-section, and then stalls itself out way before reaching the finish line.

Dom (Diesel) is still wanted by the law when we catch up with him and Letty (Rodriguez) at the beginning of Fast and Furious. Fugitives from justice, Dom and his main squeeze/accomplice are hiding out in the Dominican Republic, hanging with a new gang and make a living outside the law. But when Dom gets word the cops are closing in on his illegal operation, he hightails it out of there – and out of Letty's life – so that his girl and his buddies won't be sucked down with him.

Of course leaving your girl behind and sneaking off in the middle of the night without even saying good-bye is never a good idea. When Dom leaves, Letty heads back to the U.S. and that's what ultimately prompts Dom to return home, despite the fact he's still a wanted man. Something drastic occurs (no spoilers here) and Dom's sister Mia (Brewster) needs her brother by her side. And once Dom's back on United States turf he quickly discovers he has the same goal as his old nemesis, FBI Agent Brian O'Conner (Walker). That leads to lots of posturing, angry exchanges, and zooming around in fast cars for the most ludicrous of reasons.

The Bottom Line

There's not a single member of the large ensemble cast who's able to rise above what they were given with the Fast and Furious script. And although it should be fun to see Walker and Diesel square off, that joy is ruined by an absurd plot that makes little or no sense.

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It would be sort of okay to forget about applying a logical storyline to Fast and Furious given that most people who pay for a ticket to a film of The Fast and the Furious franchise aren't doing so to watch Shakespeare performed onscreen. No, you buy your ticket, you expect some fantastic, white-knuckle car chases. Toss a few scantily clad women into the background of a scene and then let the engines rev and the tires burn rubber. That's what Fast fans are really after, but too little of that is delivered in Fast and Furious.

GRADE: D

Fast and Furious was directed by Justin Lin and is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some sexual content, language and drug references.

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Duplicity' Movie

If you feel the need to grab a pen and paper and chart out what's happening onscreen while watching Duplicity, you're not alone. This is a film that demands you pay attention – forget the bathroom, soda and popcorn breaks – for its entirety. Duplicity, the latest adult drama from Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton), is a crazy spy vs spy tale of intrigue and corporate espionage that works well due mostly to the chemistry of its two leads – Clive Owen and Julia Roberts.

First it's the story of rival agents, then it's a sophisticated romantic comedy, and finally it flips the story on its head in an attempt to pull off a real ah-ha moment. Which, if you play along and don't analyze or spend time poking holes in the logic, is kind of a fun little twist. But if you're unwilling to give it the benefit of the doubt, then you'll feel duped by Duplicity. The film's definitely one which will divide audiences. Either you go along with the playfulness of the plot or you won't like the film.

The Story

Paul Giamatti plays Dick Garsik, the head honcho of a company that churns out all sorts of cosmetics and hair products and such. Tom Wilkinson is Howard Tully, the bigwig of a rival company. Since both companies serve the same market, one beating the other to the punch on a new product can mean the difference between a profitable year and a negative one. As the war between the two companies heats up, former MI6 agent Ray Koval (Owen) takes a job at Garsik's company. Meanwhile ex-CIA officer Claire Stenwick (Roberts) has already been working with Tully to make sure his company's secrets don't fall into enemy hands.

Backing up a bit, we find out early on that Ray and Claire have a history. He picked her up at a party; she got the upper-hand after a night in bed, drugged him, stole a secret document and left him without saying good-bye. Ray's had it out for Claire ever since. But things are not as they seem. Ray and Claire are both looking to cash in on the rivalry between the multinational corporations, which leads to much double-dealing, double-crossing, and some juicy romantic encounters.

The Cast

In Closer, Clive Owen and Julia Roberts played a married couple with major relationship issues. That film, directed by Mike Nichols, had Owen and Roberts playing angry and suspicious. This film lets the chemistry between Owen and Roberts shine through. Given some real saucy dialogue and a chance to partake in some old school pillow talk, Owen and Roberts are entertaining and engaging.

In supporting roles, Giamatti and Wilkinson make for believable ruthless corporate heads who'll stop at nothing to get the drop on their primary competitors. Also helping to sell this tale of rival spies at rival companies are Lisa Roberts Gillan, Dan Daily, Oleg Stefan, Denis O'Hare, Tom McCarthy, and Carrie Preston. Preston (True Blood) steals a scene right from under Julia Roberts in one of the film's funnier moments.

The Bottom Line

The setting could have been banking (but Owen just did that in The International) or any other milieu in which major corporations play high-stakes games of one-upmanship. The fact Duplicity is set in the world of cosmetics only serves to make the set-up that much funnier.

Duplicity is fast-paced, a little confusing, but ultimately a decent new entry in the lengthy list of con-man films.

GRADE: B

Duplicity was directed by Tony Gilroy and is rated PG-13 for language and some sexual content.

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'Defiance' Movie

Daniel Craig will always be associated with the James Bond film franchise having tackled the lead role in two highly successful Bond movies (with a few more on the horizon). Craig's superb as the super-spy and boy can he handle action scenes. But Craig's not just Bond. He's taken on a diverse collection of film roles over the past 15 years, delivering outstanding performances as a killer in Infamous, a member of the Israeli team assembled after the massacre of Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich, and a business man never referred to by name whose plans for retirement from the drug trade are put on hold in Layer Cake.

Craig adds yet another exceptional performance to his resume with his starring role in the dramatic thriller, Defiance, set in 1941. Directed by Edward Zwick (Glory, Blood Diamond) and adapted for the screen by Zwick and Clay Frohman from the non-fiction book by Nechama Tec, Defiance tells the true story of three brothers - Tuvia, Zus and Asael Bielski - who beat incredible odds and ultimately kept thousands of Jews safe from being murdered by the Nazis and their supporters.

Defiance is an absolutely heartbreaking and heroic tale, and one that hadn't seen the light of day on the big screen prior to this film. The real Bielski brothers never sought fame or recognition for their bravery and so this is one true story that will be new to most moviegoers. And it's definitely one that deserves to be shared with a worldwide audience as the Bielskis accomplished the near-impossible and saved untold lives.

The Story

Tuvia (Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), and Asael Bielski (Jamie Bell) escaped into the forest surrounding their family's home in Stankevich (now Belarus) after discovering Nazi collaborators had murdered their parents. Farmers by trade, the brothers were capable, resourceful men able to live off the land. But the Bielskis didn't just want to hide out and try to survive the massacre of their fellow Jewish citizens. The brothers wanted to avenge the deaths of their family and friends and did so by saving men, women, children, and the elderly from falling into the hands of the Nazis and their supporters.

At the urging (basically under the direct order of) Tuvia, the oldest brother, anyone seeking food and shelter was accepted into the Bielskis' shelter in the forest. Zus initially wasn't a supporter of Tuvia's plan to take in all refugees, believing they would weaken the group's chances at survival. But Tuvia prevailed and the gathering grew into a society of 1,000+ people, all tasked with working to help the group survive. Temporary housing was built, booby traps were set out to protect the camp, and those capable of handling a gun patrolled the settlement's perimeter. The refugees survived by dealing with farmers and other merchants sympathetic to their situation as well as stealing resources meant for the army.

Tuvia, the group's leader, did whatever was necessary to keep order in this makeshift community. He had strict rules everyone in the community had to adhere to and punishment for disobeying could be brutal. But whatever Tuvia did, he did for the good of this group which became known as the Bielski otriad. Thousands who would have perished in the Holocaust lived as the direct result of his actions.

The Cast

Surprisingly, the fact Craig, Schreiber, and Bell in no way resemble brothers doesn't distract from the film. Craig and Schreiber play tough as nails men who butt heads but also obviously love and respect each other. Jamie Bell is slight in build and seems slightly out of place, but his presence is strong enough to carry off the part of the younger brother who finds love in this makeshift community.

Mark Feuerstein and Allan Corduner deliver fine performances as intellectuals whose appearances in scenes allow the audience to take a step back from the action and brutality, and to see the situation through the eyes of men who put everything into perspective. And Alexa Davalos, Iben Hjejle, and Mia Wasikowska are each terrific in the film's key female roles.

The Bottom Line

I haven't read Nechama Tec's book, Defiance: The Bielski Partisans, and so I can't say with any certainty how closely Zwick and Frohman stuck to the source material. As with most films based on books, artistic license was probably taken to make the story flow cinematically. In interviews, Craig and Schreiber said in actuality there was much more brutality and killing than is portrayed in the film. And I have to believe Zwick and Frohman added in more romance than Tec's book revealed. But the basic story is supposedly much the same as how it played out back in 1941.

It's incredible to me that I knew nothing about this story after all these years and all these tales of heroics by Germans keeping Jewish citizens safe (such as recounted in Schindler's List). Filmed in the forest outside of Vilnius, Lithuania instead of on a soundstage to add as much realism as possible to this retelling of the Bielskis' story, Defiance is a compelling human drama of revenge, honor, hope, and survival. It's also an engaging action film, although the action never overwhelms the story. Craig, Schreiber and Bell give performances that remind us this is above all the story of men making a stand during one of the bleakest moments in history.

GRADE: A

Defiance was directed by Edward Zwick and is rated R for violence and language.

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'Coraline' Movie

The creepy, kooky film Coraline breaks new ground as the first stop motion animated movie to be shot in 3D. Director Henry Selick's no stranger to the art form having already tackled The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach, and Neil Gaiman's Coraline proves to be the perfect canvass for Selick to show off his skills while taking stop motion animation to a whole new level. Definitely not for everyone – and maybe too scary for kids who frighten easily – Coraline is strange and bizarre and undeniably beautiful.
Coraline Jones (voiced by Dakota Fanning) is a spunky 11 year old girl who moves into a new apartment with her absent-minded mother (Teri Hatcher) and father (John Hodgman). Her parents are busy writing gardening books and don't have much time to talk to or otherwise pay attention to Coraline, so she takes it upon herself to explore her new surroundings. After checking out an abandoned well in the woods, and meeting and sort of making friends with a pesky kid named Wybie (Robert Bailey Jr), Coraline explores the rooms in her new home and discovers a tiny locked door basically hidden from view.

Coraline, being an inquisitive child, goes through the doorway and follows a passage to a house that looks strangely just like her own home. There's even a mom – known as Other Mother - and a dad – called Other Father - inhabiting this Other World who are mirror images of her own real parents but with one major difference: Other Mother and Other Father have buttons for eyes. These big black orbs reveal nothing of what's going on within Other Mother and Other Father's heads, but their words and actions indicate they love Coraline. Other Mother and Other Father want Coraline to stay with them in their world where they promise to lavish love and attention on her in ways her own parents have been neglecting to do.

At first Coraline's absolutely captivated by these strange people with button eyes who feed her delicious full course meals and really listen to her, something her parents haven't done in quite a while. But as she spends more time in this Other World, Coraline sees the evil behind the button eyes and false smiles.

The Bottom Line

When I walked out of the screening my first thought was, "I have no idea who the target audience for this is." But I actually do know who's going to go for Coraline. I loved it and Nightmare fans will love it, as well anyone who enjoys stop motion animation. The problem is that the first 30 minutes or so play to a young audience while the last hour is definitely aimed at more mature adults. But that doesn't mean younger viewers won't be transfixed by this incredibly detailed, incredibly vivid imaginary world of secret passageways leading to evil faux parents. Coraline could inspire a few nightmares involving creatures with button eyes and ghost children trapped in this world, so it's a tough call for parents on whether or not to let anyone younger than 13 check out this film in theaters.

Coraline's all but certain to be one of the finalists in next year's race for the Best Animated Film Oscar. It's gorgeous and visually fascinating, with its vibrant palette of colors showcasing stop motion animation at its very best. It's also one of the best 3D films ever to hit theaters. In fact the effects in the 3D sequences in which Coraline crawls through the tunnel between the two worlds actually made me a little nauseated. Normally, that's not a selling point for a film, but it does illustrate how real the spinning psychedelic tunnel felt to me as I watched Coraline.

Neil Gaiman's book was a twisted tale of a brave young girl who wanders into a strange world inhabited by alternate versions of her mother and father. The book was creepy, but writer/director Selick takes Gaiman's tale and ups the ante by adding an even more eerie, otherworldly tone to the subject matter.

Anyone who owns a copy of The Nightmare Before Christmas is going to want to snatch this one up when it hits DVD, although I suggest Nightmare fans see Coraline in theaters first to get the full effect of the 3D animation.

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'Confessions of a Shopaholic'

So, we're barely into 2009 and already we've had our share of women in love, lust, or some other sort of relationship that doesn't necessarily show the female gender in the most positive light. Bride Wars served up life-long friends who tore each other to pieces after accidently booking the same wedding date. New in Town found a corporate exec looking down her perky nose at the fine folks of Minnesota before ultimately realizing they are actually people – gasp! And then He's Just Not That Into You showed how women tend to be helpless and hopeless when it comes to matters of the heart.

That's a lot of female-driven films to enter theaters just six weeks into 2009. And of course that's not a bad thing – we women deserve to have Hollywood tune into the fact we will buy tickets to movies if they interest us. But we do deserve better than we've been offered thus far this year.

Now, opening over Valentine's Day weekend, comes Confessions of a Shopaholic. Based on the bestselling books by Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic is out of touch with the current financial market and the overall state of the economy. I can't imagine many moviegoers nowadays breaking out in a "You go, girl," chorus as the film's lead character spends, spends, spends without thinking of the consequences. There is sort of a 'credit is bad, don't spend above your limits' lesson in Confessions of a Shopaholic – if you turn your head sideways and squint a little. But in many other ways, Confessions of a Shopaholic actually promotes buying pretty, sparkly items because buying new things makes one a happy person.

There's undeniably a mixed message spouted by this romantic comedy, yet if we are being totally honest with ourselves, not many of us go to the movies (in particular, to a romantic comedy) to learn important life lessons. We go to be entertained, and Confessions of a Shopaholic is entertaining - mostly thanks to the adorable Isla Fisher who could be this generation's Lucille Ball.

The Story

Hugh Dancy and Isla Fisher in 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'

© Touchstone Pictures

Fisher plays the shopaholic, Rebecca Bloomwood, a vivacious young woman who hears the siren song of mannequins beckoning her to forget all else and succumb to the pleasures of purchasing designer togs. Rebecca goes deeply into debt but she can't help herself – she needs new dresses and boots and gloves and pants, etc. etc. etc - the problem being she doesn't have the financial means to support her habit. So, with an ever-rising stack of credit card bills the elephant in the room she's trying her best to ignore, Rebecca loses her job as a journalist at an outdoor magazine. But never fear – the handsome, serious-minded Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) hires her (without checking her background) to write an advice column for his fledgling financial magazine which is struggling to establish its own identity.

Of course Rebecca doesn't want to be working at a financial magazine – her dream job is writing for a high fashion magazine – but she takes Luke up on his job offer, despite the fact she's just about the worst person on the planet to be doling out advice on how to stay out of debt. Hounded by a debt collector she explains off by claiming he's an ex-boyfriend stalking her, and knowing all the while she's ill-equipped to dispense financial advice, Rebecca keeps up the pretense of being this 'tell it like it is but in simple terms a 12 year old could understand' guru while longing for a gig writing about fashion. And to complicate Rebecca's already mixed up life, she falls for her boss who has no idea she's $16,000 in debt.

The Cast

Fisher's just fantastic as the shopping addict who hasn't ever encountered a store she didn't like. Fisher can handle the physical gags as well as the quieter moments in Confessions of a Shopaholic. When she tackles scenes we've witnessed time and again in romantic comedies (running around in high heels, enduring that awkward moment when the guy she likes introduces her to his date, disappointing her best friend by being thoughtless), she makes them seem fresh and unique.

Dancy's a handsome Brit who has onscreen chemistry with Fisher. He's not called on to stretch any acting muscles, but he does provide adequate support for Fisher to strut her stuff. Joan Cusack (who is only 13 years older than Fisher) and John Goodman are terrific, though under-used, as Fisher's loving parents. Krysten Ritter, a talented actress who seems to be relegated to best friend roles, is perfectly cast as Fisher's – you guessed it – best friend.

Krysten Ritter and Isla Fisher in 'Confessions of a Shopaholic'

© Touchstone Pictures

The Bottom Line

Yes, Confessions of a Shopaholic's release in theaters seems ill-timed due to the current disastrous financial predicament we find ourselves in. And yes, this shopaholic's wasteful ways would have been better suited for a film released 10 years ago. But Fisher, under the direction of romantic comedy veteran PJ Hogan (Muriel's Wedding,My Best Friend's Wedding), makes us connect with this film that's ultimately about taking responsibility and admitting your faults. But put aside what it's about, forget trying to interpret the message, and just take Confessions of a Shopaholic for what it is – a goofy, likeable enough chick flick.

GRADE: B

Confessions of a Shopaholic was directed by PJ Hogan and is rated PG for some mild language and thematic elements.

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Bride Wars

There seems to be a trend forming of wedding comedies starting off the year. If that's the case, I have a request of Hollywood: Please stop now. If you can't come up with a funnier bridal comedy than Bride Wars, leave the subject alone. Please. I'm asking nicely.

The Story

Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson, two pretty adorable women, take on the lead roles in the chick flick Bride Wars. Hathaway and Hudson are Emma and Liv, best friends forever
who turn into catty, shrewish monsters when their weddings are accidentally booked on the same day at the same location - the much sought-after Plaza Hotel in New York. Emma and Liv grew up dreaming about their weddings, picturing themselves walking down the aisle at the Plaza Hotel in all their bridal glory. But that dream turns into a nightmare when they both wind up engaged at around the same time and decide to go together to visit a wedding planner (played by Candice Bergen).

The wedding planner's soon-to-be-unemployed assistant screws up booking their June dates, and voila! Liv and Emma won't be available to attend the other's wedding as each will be smack dab in the middle of her own ceremony. That is, they'll be unavailable unless one budges off the date and agrees to having the ceremony performed somewhere other than the Plaza.

Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway in 'Bride Wars.'

© 20th Century Fox

But let's back up this tale a bit to fill in some needed info… Liv is a high-powered attorney used to getting her way at all times. Emma is a push-over school teacher who never says no. So obviously it has to be Emma who dons her gown and hoofs it down an aisle not at the Plaza, right? No. Emma for once decides to grow a pair and stands up for herself, shocking Liv and leading to some horrible antics. The BFF go at each other in a myriad of silly ways, some of which lead to blue hair, orange tans, and a five pound weight gain. There's also a bizarre dance off at a strip club that barely deserves mentioning... Seriously, a strip-off to see who's the sexiest bride? Really? Hello - did anyone consider the target audience for this movie when planning out that scene?

The Cast

Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway aren't the problems here. That friendship vibe comes across just fine. And both Hudson and Hathaway can handle the physical comedy aspects of Bride Wars. Supporting player Bergen is regal as the premiere wedding planner of New York, and Kristen Johnston is terrific playing an obnoxious, demanding co-worker of Hathaway's. Johnston delivers some of the film's best lines and her character's one of the most entertaining of the bunch. The acting's not what brings Bride Wars down. It's the plot.

The Bottom Line

We barely get to know the two lovely ladies before they sink their claws into each other, but from what we are able to discern from the opening 15 minutes or so of the movie is that these two women definitely love each other. They've been there for one another their entire lives. That's a given from the information we're provided in the beginning of the film. So when they lose sight of their friendship and become obsessed with having their weddings at the Plaza Hotel, it's more sad than funny. There's something wrong with how quickly they turn on each other.

Plus, I have problems with movies in which characters are moseying along all nice and sweet and then suddenly out of nowhere become evil just because it helps progress the plot. That happens with the fiancé of Emma. He's loving and supportive and then suddenly it's as if he took an ugly pill. Where did that come from?

Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway in 'Bride Wars.'

© 20th Century Fox

Also, Emma's this sweetheart who'll do anything for anybody, yet she doesn't have a real friend outside of Liv. Emma and Liv share friends, but not a single one sides with Emma even though of the two women she makes a better friend. That doesn't make sense.

Bride Wars is loaded with improbable circumstances and silly little twists. And it doesn't speak well of how women treat each other, although of course there is the requisite 'big lesson learned' moment at the end of the film. There are a few laughs scattered throughout this romantic comedy, but Bride Wars is more mean than funny.

GRADE: C

Bride Wars was directed by Gary Winick and is rated PG for suggestive content, language and some rude behavior.

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17 Again

The seriously cute, seriously corny 17 Again is Zac Efron’s first real challenge as an actor outside the safety of the High School Musical cocoon. Sure, he played the heartthrob in Hairspray, but that role didn’t require him to stretch his acting muscles. He sang well and provided teen girls with some eye candy, and that was pretty much all that was required of him. But with 17 Again, Efron actually proves he can handle the lead in a non-musical. Surprise, surprise.

17 Again isn’t ground-breaking cinema. The story’s been done many, many times before and in some cases much, much

better. Still, the moral is an important one and if it gets through to even 10% of Efron’s fanbase, then I guess you could say its recycled premise was worth revisiting.

The Story

Matthew Perry plays Mike O’Donnell, a man disappointed with every choice he's made since one fateful day in high school. Sad and bitter, Mike just got passed over for a promotion at work and he’s in the process of divorcing Scarlet (Leslie Mann), his wife of 20 years. The two were high school sweethearts but now Mike seems to believe it’s all Scarlet’s fault he didn't follow his dreams and has become, at least in his mind, a failure.

At 17, Mike was a basketball stud on the verge of earning a scholarship to college. However the day the college scouts showed up to watch him play was the same day Scarlet told him she was pregnant. Mike chose to wed his pregnant girlfriend instead of grabbing his one chance at a future in hoops, and has regretted passing up his shot at being something ever since.

Zac Efron and Thomas Lennon in '17 Again.'

© New Line Cinema

Now 37, Mike makes a wish that he could be young again and voila, a ‘spirit guide’/high school custodian makes that wish a reality. Mike wakes up as Zac Efron (because this is a fantasy tale we have to just go with the idea that Perry looked like Efron at 17). Totally confused and weirded out, Mike seeks help from his lifelong best friend, Ned. Ned’s a geeky billionaire with no social life and a house filled with the sort of movie memorabilia every comic book fanboy would kill to own. After a battle involving light sabers and other props, Ned comes to terms with Mike’s sudden regression. Ned thinks the best way to deal with the bizarre transformation is to enroll in the same high school they attended growing up - the same high school where Mike’s two kids now spend their days.

At first Mike’s convinced he’s been sent back to change his own destiny. But soon after enrolling in school Mike gets to talk to - really talk to, not talk at - his kids and quickly learns he really knows nothing about them. He also figures out that maybe helping them through the trials and tribulations of their teen years is what his spirit guide actually meant for him to do. That insight leads him back to his old home and back into the life of his soon-to-be-ex-wife who sees an astonishing resemblance between this new kid and the guy she dated in high school. And you just know that all this interaction with his family leads to everyone involved learning significant lessons about life and doing what’s right.

The Cast

Efron’s terrific as Mike, engaging and sweet, and showing real comedic timing. Plus, he actually pulls off the more dramatic moments with surprising success. Thomas Lennon plays nerdy Ned with a lot of gusto, and truth be told Ned’s the most fascinating character of the bunch. 17 Again would have only benefited from more shared screen time between Lennon and Efron. The always dependable Leslie Mann once again shows why audiences just adore her onscreen. Mann helps keep the film real and grounded, playing a strong, determined mom who’s tried her best to save her marriage but who’s prepared to move on when she realizes it’s a lost cause.

Melora Hardin as the high school principal and newfound object of Ned’s affection is good though underused. Michelle Trachtenberg as Mike’s kind of wild daughter and Sterling Knight as Mike’s introverted son who blossoms under his 17 year old father’s tutelage are fine in supporting roles.

The Bottom Line

17 Again starts off with a man coping with his failures, living with regret, and dealing with the serious issue of divorce. Then the film goes through a screwball comedy period as Mike pops back into his 17 year old body with unexpected side effects (the boy can’t stop eating, has too much energy, etc.).

Leslie Mann and Zac Efron in '17 Again.'

© New Line Cinema

Things turn a bit creepy as his female classmates compete for his attention, his own daughter hits on him, and he discovers he’s still got deep, deep feelings for his soon to be ex-wife that as a 17 year old are highly inappropriate. And then when the lesson has obviously been learned, 17 Again gets all serious and wraps up with a gooey, sweet scene that brings the film back full circle. It’s a predictable story littered with clichéd characters and a few downright ridiculous scenes (no high school bully is going to stand still while the new kid in school delivers a 10 minute monologue on why he’s just a loser hiding behind a thick layer of bravado). But Efron’s got a presence on screen that saves the film from being just another toss-away teen comedy.

Director Burr Steers does a decent job of taking an old concept and making it maybe not feel new, but at least sincere. Still, there’s something stagey about the production that made 17 Again not work for me. Maybe it was kicking the movie off with a basketball game in which Mike joins the cheerleaders for a high energy dance number right before the biggest game of his high school career...

Despite its shortfalls, the teens in the preview audience were into the film, applauding the second Efron appeared onscreen and laughing at the appropriate moments. The adults...well, there were a few chuckles from the non-Zac Efron-adoring crowd.

If all you're looking for is silly escapist entertainment, you could do a lot worse.

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'Battle for Terra' (PG)

WHAT IT’S ABOUT?

The peace-loving population of the serenely beautiful planet of Terra is targeted for destruction by the last survivors of the invading human race, who are floating in an ancient spaceship and need a new home. War seems inevitable — even for the pacifists on this unusual planet — but a unique and unexpected friendship forged by a crafty young girl and the human pilot she captures could be the key to saving the day, not only for planet Terra but for both warring races.

WHO’S IN IT?

Although Battle for Terra was independently made, the producers of this stunning film managed to pull together a first-rate all-star cast, led by Evan Rachel Wood (The Wrestler) as Mala, the heroic young girl who initially is the only member of her planet to fight back. Luke Wilson has an appealing turn as Jim Stanton, the American pilot Mala captures, and is nicely balanced by Brian Cox’s (The Bourne Identity) evil General Hemmer, who is out to annihilate Terra’s citizens and replace them with his own. Chris Evans (Fantastic Four) plays Jim’s loyal warrior brother Stewart with strong results; Danny Glover is effective as the human President; James Garner movingly voices the wise leader of the Terrians; and Dennis Quaid lends credibility to the role of Mala’s dad. There’s also an amusing turn from David Cross as Jim’s sidekick bot, Giddy. Amanda Peet, Justin Long and Ron Perlman (Hellboy) round out the impressive voice cast.

WHAT’S GOOD?

Battle for Terra’s 3-D animation is superb, especially considering the budget restraints of an indie production. It stands with the very best of its genre, creating an astounding visual experience that ought to have audiences of all ages riveted to the screen. More importantly, the film’s strong environmental and anti-war messages are expertly weaved into its compelling storyline. This is a movie that has more on its mind than just entertainment (which it provides in spades).

WHAT’S BAD?

A little more humor might have been injected, but this is serious business. Battle For Terra stands apart from other recent 3-D animated experiences as rip-roaringly fine piece of science fiction that looks impressive next to its live-action cousins.

FAVORITE SCENE:

For sheer pulse-pounding excitement and thrills, the big climactic battle is simply breathtaking to watch.

NETFLIX OR MULTIPLEX?

The movie is stunning to look at and the 3-D glasses just add to its impact. Definitely see this on the big screen.



Source : http://www.hollywood.com