Movies 2-16

This week's reviews from Drive "Movie Guy" Chris Bollini:


CORALINE


Coraline is the new animated film based on the best selling novel by Neil Gaiman. The film is directed by Henry Selick, the filmmaker who brought us “The Nightmare before Christmas.”

Coraline is your average girl who has just moved to a new town with her parents. She misses her old friends and has a hard time keeping occupied. Unfortunately, her parents are far too busy with work to pay attention to her; and in fact, they aren’t very nice about it. Understandably, Coraline hopes for something better.

One night, she awakens from a deep sleep and finds a secret door in her living room. The door leads to an alternate world which is almost identical to her normal existence except the new reality is much, much better. Everything is fun and exciting. She also meets her alternate parents, her “Other Mother” and “Other Father”, who constantly dote on her, satisfying her every whim. This new world is perfect. Or is it?

Coraline is a well done film. Henry Selick brings his colorful and imaginative vision to the screen; the visuals are stunning and beautiful with plenty of color and bizarreness. Selick also creates a very believable young girl with Coraline and surrounds her with plenty of vivid and interesting characters. The stop motion animation is impressive and captivating. And if you see it in 3D, the new technology will only draw you deeper into this unique world. The film is dark in tone and has some frightening images so you may want to consider bringing younger children. It’s a very fun time.

3.5 Tires


PINK PANTHER 2

Steve Martin returns as the bumbling Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Decades ago, this character was made famous by Peter Sellers and Blake Edwards. In this film, the pink panther, a priceless jewel, has been stolen. Il Tornado, the world renowned thief, is the prime suspect. As a result, Clouseau joins an international team of crime fighters to hunt down the irreplaceable treasure. The film co-stars some of Hollywood finest like Andy Garcia, John Cleese and Alfred Molina. With this A-list cast, you’d think this film would be fantastic. Guess again. Pink Panther 2 is stale and never engaging. The jokes, mostly slapstick, are seldom very amusing. All the characters are stereotyped, text book caricatures. It seems that a handful of comedy skits were simply glued together by a really straight forward story: the team moves from point A to point B trying to find the jewel. Although I didn’t embrace the film, there was some laughter in the theater so maybe
this one just didn’t connect with me. Although there is some innuendo, Pink Panther 2 may be a good film for older kids as it plays out almost like a cartoon.

.5 tire



He’s Just Not That Into You

The new film, based on the best selling book, explores the relationships between a group of intertwined thirty something professionals. The film presents several storylines; a couple trying to stay committed in a marriage, a woman hoping her 7 year boyfriend will enter into a marriage, and everyone else is just trying to find special someone. Text messaging, My Space, Facebook and the all the new technological avenues of communication are addressed here so the movie feels more relevant and contemporary. Characters make mistakes and walk into situations that are going to be awkward, but that’s all part of the journey. “He’s Just Not That Into You” brings together a wonderful cast including Jennifer Connelly, Jennifer Aniston, Justin Long, Ben Affleck, Drew Barrymore, Ginnifer Goodwin - you get the picture. The film gets the audience invested in the characters early which really keeps the story moving nicely. There are a lot of funny, touching
moments to enjoy. It’s predictable in many ways, but there are plenty of unexpected moments to keep it fresh. “He’s Just Not That Into You” skews towards the female demographic, but that’s not to say that guys won’t enjoy it. If you’re an action film fan, you may want to let your wife or girlfriend see the film with her friends. For everyone else, it’s entertaining.

3 tires



FANBOYS

Fanboys is a new comedy from director, Kyle Newman.

Linus and Eric, two old friends and avid Star Wars fans, have grown apart over the last few years. By a chance encounter, they are reunited. Sadly, Eric discovers that Linus is dying. The year is 1998. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace will soon be released. For one last adventure, Eric, Linus and two of their closest childhood friends travel across country to Skywalker Ranch to steal an unreleased print of the upcoming film. Along the way, the four friends encounter their fair share of mishaps, delays, and crazy characters. They even have a heated rivalry with another faction of sci-fi fans: the Trekkies, a group obsessed with the Star Trek films. Newman gives audiences plenty of inside jokes and references to laugh at. Actor, Dan Fogler, turns in a inspired performance as one of the overly enthusiastic friends .There are also a lot of exciting cameos by Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, William Shatner, and the list goes on. Although Fanboys has heart,
it falls a little short of being a great film. It tends to drag in points and some jokes fall flat. There just seems to be something missing. I’m a Star Wars fan so I found enough to enjoy, but if you’re not, this movie is definitely hit or miss.

2.5 Tires