Cedric the Entertainer, Lucy Liu. Action/comedy. Written by David Rotman, Ryan Oxford. Directed by Les Mayfield.
FILM SYNOPSIS: A janitor awakens in a swanky hotel and discovers another guy in the bed – dead! On the floor is a briefcase full of money. Suffering from amnesia, he is unaware that the day before he discovered some nefarious goings-on where he works. But before the baddies can kill him, they must retrieve a micro chip he doesn’t realize he has. Befriended by two beautiful women, one claiming to be his wife, and being chased for an unknown reason, our hero decides he must be a secret agent. Comic situations mixed with chase scenes and provocative come-ons from the beautiful women ensue.
PREVIEW REVIEW: There seems to be a difference of opinion, here. I thought the film was a snoozer, whereas the audience seemed to enjoy it. I’d look around the theater (what else was there to do) and see pleasant expressions on faces, almost as if they were watching a different movie. Indeed, I seemed to be the only one bored. Well, with the exception of the groaner behind me.
The story is so implausible with its numerous situations going beyond the realm of reality that the plot becomes more sci-fi than comedic. For instance, the lead is at the Seattle airport when suddenly someone shoots through the glass window at him. No one seems to react. No High Alert. No security. No police. No nothing. He just keeps running around the airport being car-chased by the villains. In another ludicrous situation, he disguises himself as a Dutch dancer (envision a corpulent black man in wooden clogs and lederhosen – ha, ha) in order to elude the police and suddenly finds himself on stage having to perform a number with the group. No one in the dance team asks who he is, yet he’s dancing in place with them. Magically he knows the choreography. It’s pretty silly stuff.
I like Cedric the Entertainer, but in small doses. The producers mistakenly thought he was ready to take the entire burden of a movie on his shoulders. The truth is, he’s still a supporting player. He goes on persona, but lacks any true acting ability and runs short of comic ideas. For instance, he gets the wrong impression that he’s a secret agent and starts doing karate moves much like an eight-year-old who’s just seen a Jet Li movie. That may be funny – once – but five times! This isn’t a movie, it’s an unsold TV pilot.
Okay, now, about that screening audience. I think there are two reasons they seemed to be enjoying themselves. First, they got in free. It was a Wednesday night and nothing good on television. Second, they obviously like Cedric. And it’s difficult not to. As I said, he’s not much of an actor – yet – but he has a likable screen persona. Sometimes people look for a film-going experience that doesn’t test them. They just want to relax and let someone they like do all the talking. Well, in this film, Cedric does plenty of that.
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Imelda Staunton, April Lee Hernandez. Drama/biography. Written & directed by Richard LaGravenese.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Based on a true story, the film tells of high school English teacher Erin Gruwell, a young California woman who requests to be sent to a Long Beach school where she is determined to better the lives of students the education system feels are un-teachable. It seems impossible to get through their defiance until she comes up with the idea of having them keep a daily journal. Once they are able to express their inner torment, she begins to understand their situation and they begin to open up to her.
Hampered by a vice-principle who won’t even give the class books, Erin takes on two extra jobs in order to pay for teaching materials. Time spent with the class begins to erode her marriage, but she is determined to help these teens get out of their nightmare existence.
PREVIEW REVIEW: An unabashed tribute to Erin Gruwell, her screen characterization makes the educator from Mr. Holland’s Opus look like a complete shirker. It’s a simple format: white mentor gets personally involved with minority students. Though some in this genre are better than others, they all have one thing in common – they are inspirational. Hopefully these films reach struggling students and give educators a desire to do the best they can. Though nowadays, with moral precepts left in the faculty lounge, the task of reaching troubled teens is doubly difficult.
With nearly every white adult distant and uncaring, the scenes without the kids and their teacher seem heavy-handed. And poor Patrick Dempsey pouts his way through every scene like a petulant child unhappy with Santa’s offerings. But these are mild distractions as the film’s inspirational message transcends the film’s faults. Added to Hilary Swank’s marvelous portrait, the performances of the class, plus the engaging and revealing dialogue written by Richard LaGravenese (based on the book) make this a worthwhile film-going experience.
Alas, there is one aspect of the film that troubles me (besides the occasional profanity). While helping the underprivileged is the most noble of causes, the sacrifice of a marriage union may seem justified in a story, but it is not something to be honored in real life. We live in an age where both man and wife must work in order to attain the American dream. That makes it extremely difficult as the couple find themselves going in different directions too often. But when vows are taken, bride and groom are assuring one another that they will forsake all others in order to maintain that union. It’s a vow taken before the spouse, his or her family, and God. Taken with a cause, noble though it may be, the lead sacrifices her husband’s needs in order to fulfill her own ambition. Hard call. Someone needs to help these children, but she already made her life choice. If marriage is to last, those taking the vows must adhere to them.
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
FILM SYNOPSIS: When a young seminary student is targeted by a psychopathic killer, he joins forces with a criminal psychologist whose brother was murdered by the same madman. Together they must unravel the killer's riddles and catch him before he strikes again, but the closer they get, the more twisted the path becomes. This heart-pounding thriller will keep you guessing up until the final shocking scene! Based on the best-selling novel by Ted Dekker.
The film is being released by FoxFaith, the newly created faith-based label from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment LLC. FoxFaith was created to provide compelling entertainment to the Christian audience as well as those seeking quality inspirational and spiritual entertainment. Additional information about specific titles and programs can be found at www.foxfaith.com and www.foxfaithmovies.com.
PREVIEW REVIEW: If you’ve read my piece on FoxFaith, you know that I think it is important for Christians to be supportive of films they release. Geared to audiences fed up with the gratuitous content prevalent in today’s cinema, FoxFaith is attempting to find stories representing several film genres. Steven Feldstein, VP of Corporate and Marketing Communications for FoxFaith, told me, “As time goes on the films will improve. Well, improve isn’t the right word. You’ll see an evolution. Stick with us. We’ve got so many different projects going that it’s really an exciting time.”
That said, no studio or distribution company will hit a home run each time up to bat. That goes for FoxFaith’s new release, Thr3e. It appears that the writer was highly influenced by the terrifying thrillers Saw I, II and III. Thr3e tells of a mad electronics expert with a sadistic bent and revenge on his evil mind. A brilliant mad mastermind, he is somehow capable of going undetected when strapping bombs to buses, cars and people. Armed with a surveillance system that would cause envy at CIA headquarters, he manages to avoid capture.
Dreary and lethargic, the storyline is devoid of curse words, as if that was the main problem people of faith have with Hollywood productions, but otherwise I see little difference between this and any “secular” thriller. Perhaps, the objective was not to give viewers a positive or redemptive theme, just an entertaining and scary thriller about a maniac with a penchant for sadistic behavior. The lead is a seminary student, but there’s little to no depiction of his faith. Indeed, there is nothing of consequence concerning spiritual matters until the closing scene, when a professor states, as if tacked on to fit the FoxFaith objective, that we need God.
For fans of cat-and-mouse thrillers, it might be of interest. But even they could be disappointed as the villain is less than capable. This guy does blow up a character at the opening, but his subsequent attempts are all met with failure. He’s kind of a loser as movie monsters go, being more Bullwinkle’s Boris Badenov than Saw’s Jigsaw.
The acting is adequate, but no one stands out. And it’s a shame to see the one-time beauty Priscilla Barnes doing an atrocious mugging and scenery chewing combination of Sunset Blvd.'s Norma Desmond and Mommy Dearest’s Joan Crawford. Ms. Barnes plays a nutty guardian who ties up her little nephew for the slightest behavioral infraction, while the family lives in a dilapidating house, the rooms filled with (can you guess?) tons of old newspapers. She’s a fine actress, but her choices here seem ungoverned by the director.
The characters in general, all supposedly having matriculated at big league universities, come across dumber than a bagful of hammers. Despite several attacks on their lives, they continue to wander off alone, thinking they need no backup, despite the fact that the nutcase has nearly killed them several previous times. As they take off, they turn and give varying takes on the dumbbell standby line, “Wait here.”
The film lacks any originality and therefore any purpose. Well, I give you, no one cusses – not even the villainous Saw knockoff.
Distributor: FoxFaith
Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow, and the voices of David Bowie, Madonna and Snoop Dogg. Live action/animation. Written and directed by Luc Besson.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Ten-year-old Arthur lives on a nice farm with his loving grandmother. But Grandpa disappeared a while back and now a mean guy means to foreclose on their nice farm. Ah, but Grandpa was good enough to leave a treasure behind. If found, their money worries are over. Clues left behind suggest the treasure is in another realm governed by pixies called Mimimoys. Tiny, almost invisible, the Mimimoys have problems of their own. The land developer who aims to get the farm will bring serious changes to their cozy environment.
Smart boy Arthur discovers how to shrink himself in order to seek help from the fairy creatures. But before the happy ending, there come several perilous adventures for young Arthur and his pointy-eared pals.
PREVIEW REVIEW: It’s reminiscent of Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, with a softer ecological message and without the zany wit of Robin Williams. Clever and energetic, it’s more adventure than comedy, but pleasant enough for kids bored with their recent Christmas morning haul.
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson, Barbara Flynn, Bill Paterson, Lloyd Owen. Writer Richard Malby Jr. Director Chris Noonan.
FILM SYNOPSIS: Beatrix Potter has delighted generations of children with her books. But she kept her own private life locked carefully away. Oscar-winning star Renee Zellweger is now bringing her secret story to the screen in Miss Potter, the first film directed by Chris Noonan since his charming 1995 movie, Babe. It is set in the high summer days of late Victorian and Edwardian England, during which Beatrix develops her natural skills as artist and story-teller. When she finally publishes her debut book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, she becomes a writing celebrity. It also leads to courtship and her first love with publisher Norman Warne, played by Ewan McGregor. Their relationship and his marriage proposal in July, 1905, was to change Beatrix’s life for ever.
It was a love she could not announce - or even talk about. In high-society London, her parents had insisted she keep it from friends and neighbors. They considered her proposed wedding a mismatch. Warne, they said, was from “trade” and demanded that she carefully reconsider their life together. Beatrix allowed herself to be persuaded to leave her fiancé and London. It was supposed to be a time for reflection and calm. But, instead, she faced tragedy and loneliness, and returned with a different outlook. She became a woman of strong views and independence. She also built up a farming dynasty in the Lake District - a dynasty over which she took charge long after her writing career virtually ended in 1913. It established her as a woman ahead of her time. Despite becoming the world’s most successful children’s writer and a wealthy landowner and prize-winning farmer, she never forgot her first love.
PREVIEW REVIEW: Your mission, ladies, should you decide to accept it, is to convince your husbands that this film is a prequel to the action-packed Harry Potter series – and not a “chick flick.” It is believed that the men folk will enjoy this production once they are tricked into attending. (After all, I am a man, all my heroes are cowboys, yet I liked it.)
It is beautifully photographed, with a witty and sharply written script. Ms. Zellweger plays her part well as an independent woman in an era when that outlook was shunned. What’s more, she radiates joy as a woman who discovers self-respect and one who lives to see her work appreciated. On top of that, Miss Potter is the most romantic film of the year. (Bring hankies – one for you, and yes, one for him.)
As always, should you be caught or found out at any point during this Harry Potter pretense, Preview On Line will disavow any knowledge of your mission. Good luck. This review will self-destruct in 15 seconds.
Distributor: MGM