Box Watcher

All over the country are small venue theaters, the kind of places that seat 1,500 maybe 2,000 people a show.  Former palaces that all the big name acts used to play.  Now the big names stick to larger arenas that hold 20,000 a night.  But what about those old theaters and acts?  Don’t people still want  entertainment from the acts they remember?  Don’t the old theaters still need attractions to put butts in the seats?

The Great Buck Howard tells the story of a law student named Troy (Colin Hanks) who discovers he’s not happy learning the law. Dropping out of school he soon takes a job as road manager for Buck Howard (John Malkovich).  Howard was once a world-famous “mentalist”, playing all over the world and appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson 61 times.  Now he plays to small time crowds doing the same act that once made him popular.  The crowds are smaller but people still seems to enjoy what he does.

The movie, inspired by real life magician “The Amazing Kreskin” is a nice character study.  Balancing the sadness of a performer past his prime, with the idealism a young man looking to find his path in life.  Though he lives in denial of it Buck knows he’s hardly relevant but keeps hoping for that one big “effect” that will bolt him back to stardom.  While he still enjoys playing to half filled theaters, it bothers him that he’s not a bigger star.  No one wants to feel like their life’s work has become a joke.

Troy meanwhile refuses to view Buck as a pathetic figure.  He sees him as a talented performer who still entertains.  Troy faces pressure from his father (Tom Hanks) whose concerned his son is throwing his life away.  In spite of this Troy finds meaning in being a part of Buck’s show.  A quiet dignity that law school would never give him.

The Great Buck Howard had a very limited but interesting release pattern.  It first played on HDnet movies and on demand before getting a small release on the art house circuit.  Now out on DVD it will hopefully find a larger audience that will appreciate it.  The movie is much like the title character.  It won’t reinvent the wheel, it may not show you anything you haven’t seen before.  But give it an hour and half and it will entertain you.

**** out of *****

First up, two more Popcorn Panel reviews.

Monsters Vs. Aliens 3D

For a 3D animated film, Monsters vs. Aliens it falls flat in all other regards.  Intended to be a parody of 50’s sci-fi/horror films, it never feels enough like one to work.  There are some interesting character moments and a few good gags but overall there is not enough tension to feel there is any real danger.  Sometimes a celebrity voice can be be distracting in animation but not here.  The actors are all right for the parts.   Not a bad movie but not a memorable one either.  Save yourself the extra charge and skip the 3D.  

Observe and Report

“Observe and Report” is the story of a mall security chief played by Seth Rogen who dreams of becoming a police officer. However, his biggest obstacle is himself. He is clueless in almost every aspect of his life. At one point, in order to impress a girl, he gives her his bipolar medication. Despite his sometimes psychotic behavior, he is very determined to live by a moral code, however twisted it may be. The humor, more akin to “Bad Santa” than “Paul Blart: Mall Cop,” is very dark and uncomfortable, yet very funny and worth the price of admission.

Now on to the other films. 

I Love You, Man

Any project featuring both Paul Rudd and Jason Segel gets my immediate attention.  This movie, about a groom’s search to make a friend to be his best man, is full of laughs and most of them come from Rudd.  He has this uncanny ability to be the guy who never quite fits into any crowd.  The humor is mined from people in normal, albeit awkward situations.  Funny people just being funny, end of story.  

**** out of *****

Duplicity

Duplicity stars Julia Roberts and Clive Owen as a pair of corporate spies playing two business against each other.  It’s a caper film along the lines of Ocean’s 11, just not as exciting.  It’s funny and Roberts and Owen make a good couple but the rapid fire dialogue gets a little repetitive.  I hate to say it but there was too much talking and not enough stealing.  

*** out of *****

Sunshine Cleaning

This years Little Miss Sunshine/Indie darling.  Quirky story about a pair of sisters who start a business cleaning up crime scenes.  Along the way they deal with parental deaths, infidelity, and quirkiness!  Parts work and the cast is good but the screenplay comes off as cliche ridden.  Flawed but still somewhat likable. 

** out of *****

17 Again

Your basic “It’s a Wonderful Life” type story. Nothing special but it is very funny mostly due to Thomas Lennon.  Zac Efron is just entertaining enough to carry this light-weight little comedy.  Nothing special but good for a few laughs.  

*** out of *****

Earth

Disney is relaunching their Nature films with one called Earth.  Following families of Polar Bears, Elephants, and Whales for one year. If you watch a lot of Discovery Channel or Animal Planet the content probably won’t be anything you haven’t seen before but, the visuals are worth the cost of admission. 

**** out of *****

Nicolas Cage can be a great actor.  Looking at his IMDB.com listing you find his films run the gamut from truly great (Leaving Las Vegas, Adaptation, Matchstick Men, The Weather Man, Raising Arizona, etc..) to the, well, downright terrible (Ghost Rider, The Wicker Man, etc) and all points in between.  Lately his films have been closer to the down side  of things.  At first glance Knowing didn’t look to be anything special.   

It’s 1959 and a new middle school is opening.  As a class project each student is drawing a picture to place in a time capsule.  Move forward to 2009 for the capsule opening. When the contents are handed out Caleb Koestler (Chandler Canterbury) is given one.  He unfolds it to find not a picture, but a list of numbers.  Luckily his dad John (Nicolas Cage), is a professor at MIT.  He soon uncovers the pattern hidden in the numbers.  They detail the date, location, and how many people died in every disaster of the last fifty years.  Including three events that have yet to occur.  Thus sets in motion a race to figure out the greater meaning behind it all.

Director Alex Proyas is this films biggest strength.  He brings the same sense of dread from his previous films (The Crow, Dark City) but places it in more familiar surroundings.  Horror filmmakers would do well to recruit Proyas.  The scenes in the woods when Caleb receives mysterious visitors are chilling.  The camera and the lighting combine to give the strangers an eerie look.  The actors body language never tips off their intentions. 

The film also scores points for being terrifying in parts.  The plane crash is shown in one continuous shot.  As it comes down there is a horror of seeing something like that happen but, not being able to do anything.  The chaotic aftermath drives home the fact that the list is real, and more people will die.  

The ending is a little problematic.  Some people will have a hard time accepting it.  It’s a something of a tonal shift from the rest of the film.  It’s also somewhat clumsily telegraphed early on in some expository dialogue.  It’s still affective but this will be a deal-breaker for some viewers.  

Knowing is a completely wonderful surprise.  Cage is not necessarily at the top of his game but he is as good as the material needs him to be.  Alex Proyas does wonders blending high concept Sci-Fi elements, all the while never losing the human aspect of it all.  When looking at the quality of the films he has directed it’s not difficult to imagine that he is only a breakout away from being an A-list director.  

**** out of *****

When is a hero not a hero?  In movies it has become accepted that we root for whomever the lead actor/actress plays.  Regardless of the situation, the person with the most screen time is the hero.  Remember the controversy when Jack Nicholson received top billing in Batman?  How dare the villainous actor be listed before the hero?  Maybe that is the thinking behind Confessions of a Shopaholic. 

The story follows Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) a writer living in New York City.  After being laid off from her job, Rebecca aspires to get on at a high profile fashion magazine.  After failing to get the job because she went shopping on the way to the interview, she is advised to apply at a business magazine by the same publisher.  She interviews for that job and manages to impress the editor, Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy), enough to get a shot.  Along the way she overspends and seems totally unrepentant about it.  

First of all the movie is really disjointed.  It tries to juggle Rebecca’s relationship with the editor, her battles with a debt collector, and her struggles with her shopaholic support group.  Director P.J. Hogan does a poor job balancing the three plot lines.  When it looks like it will focus on the romance, Dancy is off screen for long stretches and is almost forgotten.  The scenes with the support group are too short and comical to give the story any emotional weight at all.  The debt collector, you know the guy who actually lives up to his responsibilities, is painted as the bad guy whose sole purpose is to ruin Rebecca’s good time.  

The biggest problem here is Rebecca herself.  In any romance it is important for the audience to see the traits in a character that would make another person fall in love with them.  Outside of being attractive, and Isla Fisher is an attractive woman, Rebecca Bloomwood has no attractive qualities.  

First, she lies.  Oh sure it’s cute when it comes to things like being able to speak Finnish.  But consider that every step of the way she misleads everyone.  When she interviews for the business magazine job, she lies about her qualifications.  When she is given an assignment, she plagiarizes out of a book.  Add to this it is not just her boss she lies to, it is also the man she loves. 

Secondly, after spending years racking up over $16,000 in credit card debt her instincts tell her to hit up her retired middle-class parents (John Goodman and Joan Cusack) for the cash.  This supposedly college educated and independent woman goes running to Mommy and Daddy.  She does not seem to care what it could do to their quality of life.  

Third, after all her other options run out, she decides to auction off the things she bought to pay her bills.  Okay, fair enough at least she is finally taking responsibility for her problems.  But she uses all the people from her shopaholic support group to sell the stuff.  That would like recruiting bartenders from an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting.  Putting people in harms way for her own gain, yeah that is someone to be admired.  

Confessions of a Shopaholic is not meant to be anything more than a fun romantic comedy.  Despite that, it is hard to feel good about this movie.  We can all accept people and pull for them to overcome their flaws.  But when that person repeatedly engages in destructive behavior with no regard to the consequences to themselves or loved ones, that is not fun.  It’s sad and irresponsible.  Just like this movie.  

* out of *****

In March 1997 I was fortunate to be in attendance at Wrestlemania 13, the biggest wrestling show of the year.  On the under card that night a young Rocky Maivia defended his Intercontinental championship against the dreaded Sultan!  Maivia was a squeaky clean “babyface”,wrestling slang for good guy.  It was clear he was being marketed as a hero for kids.  Nothing wrong with that, the only problem, no one really liked him.  He was too vanilla for most wrestling fans and was really quite boring.  

Later that year he amped up his character, became a cocky bad-ass who adopted a series of memorable catch phrases and changed his name to “The Rock”!  After he turned “heel”, bad guy, he became arguably the most popular wrestler of his generation.  Years later he became an actor, quit wrestling and started going by his real name of Dwayne Johnson.  He may as well have gone back to Rocky Maivia.  

Race to Witch Mountain stars Johnson as Jack Bruno, an ex-con trying to go straight by driving a cab in Las Vegas.  One day two teens Seth (Alexander Ludwig) and Sara (AnnaSophia Robb) get in his cab with a fistful of cash and vague directions.  After being chased by men in black SUVs Bruno soon discovers the two are more then they appear to be.  The truth is they are a pair of aliens on a mission to prevent an alien invasion.  The men in the black trucks are government agents hot on their trail.  To complicate matters they are also being hunted by a “Siphon”, an intergalactic assassin, sent to foil their mission.  

It’s not a bad set up for a good old fashioned kids action/adventure romp.  It certainly worked for Disney before in the mid 70’s when the company released the films, Escape from Witch Mountain and Return to Witch Mountain, on which this one is based.  Both of those films are fondly remembered by a generation of kids who will presumably take their kids to see Race from Witch Mountain.  I have a feeling this one won’t be as well remembered as the others.  

So what went wrong?  For one the script falls flat.  There is nothing about this film to get the viewer invested at all in these characters.  There is little to no character development in any of it, after all that might require slowing down the story.  The pacing is like a video game.  There is action and a quick bit of dialog to advance the plot to the next sequence.  But nothing of any substance happens in between the action.  

Also the villains never feel at all frightening.  There is no suspense when facing down the bad guys.  The Siphon has a menacing look but nothing to make us feel intimidated.  Scene after scene he defeated to the point where he seems like a stooge.  He can’t even avoid a falling beam on stage with out even getting knocked out.  The government agents aren’t much better.  

Fault also falls on director Andy Fickman.  Scenes are shot in the most generic manner and he does not have a grasp on on how to make the material work.  It’s understandable he didn’t want to make it too dark, it is a family film after all but, he failed to make a movie that would appeal to anyone but maybe young kids.  

It’s really contradictory, in the March/April 2009 issue of Creative Screenwriting Magazine Fickman is quoted “Why do we always have to assume family entertainment is playing to the six-year old?  Why can’t family entertainment play for the older people and then everyone can enjoy it”.  I totally agree with the sentiment, but if you make bland forgettable entertainment, no body is going to enjoy it.  

On the plus side Johnson is good in the film.  His natural charisma shines through and knows how to handle the action fight scenes.  I hate to say it but it seems that movies like Race to Witch Mountain are all he aspires to these days.  After an action career that started out promising, Dwayne Johnson has become stuck doing these family type films.  This is his second, and one can only hope his last, film with Fickman.  

Johnson hasn’t seemed to have learned anything from his wrestling days.  Back then he was shoehorned into a role that wasn’t working.  While he played the part as well as he could, it just didn’t work.  It was only when they found a part that would showcase his strengths that he really was able to shine.  It’s a lesson he really needs to learn all over again.  

** out of *****