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#610 June 4, 2010
M O V I E S
In Brief
(The Twilight Saga:) Eclipse (PG-13) BUY THE:Poster!
| DVD!
| Blu-ray!
| Soundtrack!
| Score CD!
| Novel Set!
| Novel Set on CD!
| Novel!
| Book on CD!
Three movies in, there's really nothing that Stephenie Meyer's young female phenom known as "The Twilight Saga" can really do to convert non-believers (yes, myself included), yet Eclipse finds the franchise rather blatantly attempting to appeal beyond the base: plugging in edgy Hard Candy and 30 Days of Night director David Slade into the director's chair; upgrading from Rachelle Lefevre to the more recognizable and pedigreed Bryce Dallas Howard in the role of vampire villainess Victoria. But such overtures are all for naught, for at the end of the day this is about a resolution to the love triangle between unremarkable teen Bella (Kristen Stewart), mopey vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson), and oft-shirtless werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner)--and no one already caught up in that soggy soap will find a reason to care now, what with Bella being as unsympathetically selfish as ever, Edward still being such a spineless, if sparkly, blank (ditto his portayer, Pattinson), and Jacob displaying little personality beyond his ever-exposed upper body. Slade gives the action bits a little more punch, but as usual there aren't many aside from the climax; and Howard's casting is pretty much wasted in the end. The considerable fandom will certainly not be disappointed, and far be it for me to tell any of the Twinterested to quit now; but for anyone else, like Bella they have a choice, and making a choice to stay away may save one some bewilderment.
Grown Ups (PG-13) BUY THE:Poster!
| DVD!
| Blu-ray!
| Soundtrack!
Adam Sandler's films have always so directly played to his base audience that it's more or less impossible to explain to non-fans (such as myself--and I do recognize I'm a major minority in that regard) what exactly the appeal is. Grown Ups takes that idea a step further, as it doesn't so much play like a film than random home movies of Sandler and his usual screen cronies on vacation--albeit with fictional families. So the premise that sets up the central camping trip (old friends Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, and David Spade reunite after their childhood basketball coach passes) and anything resembling a connective tissue takes a back seat to the five, more or less playing their usual personae, simply goofing around with their faux families at a lake, at a water park, at restaurants, in a cabin, and so on. In fact, there's probably even less of interest here than in anyone's real home movies, for anything remotely resembling conflict or complication is resolved within two minutes of its introduction. The humor is the typically goofball, slapsticky, crude silliness one would associate with Sandler's Happy Madison Productions brand though raunch is dialed down to family-safe levels--which raises the question if the frat boy Sandler base will embrace this as strongly as his other films. But, as is almost always the case with these movie mediocrities that director Dennis Dugan churns out for Sandler like clockwork, it's guaranteed to be major money in the bank through minimal moviemaking effort.
The Karate Kid (PG) BUY THE:Poster!
| DVD!
| Blu-ray!
| Soundtrack!
On paper, this update of the 1984 coming-of-age classic seems questionable, especially with aging its hero down to truly "kid" levels, changing the setting to China, and thus ridding the film of its very title element--karate--in favor of a completely different martial art, kung fu. But Harald Zwart's film is a remake/reinvention in the most ideal sense, as for all of the outward differences, not only is the film remarkably beat-for-beat faithful story wise, but also close in pacing; after young Dre (Jaden Smith) is taken under the wing of maintenance man/martial arts expert Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) to compete in a kung fu tournament against his bullies, action slows down--as in the original, all the better to build the characters and mentor-student relationship, and for this remake, establish its own unique personality and distinct identity, and in sometimes surprising ways. Mr. Han's centerpiece fight is quintessentially Chan, with slapstick infused just as strongly as impressive martial arts moves, but while his action icon status obviously made him an ideal, no-brainer casting choice, he surprises with his depth and sincerity in what is ultimately a straightforward dramatic role. Also a recipient of Zwart's unexpected generosity is Taraji P. Henson, taking what was the incredibly thankless part of the mom in the original film and carving out some memorable moments for herself that in no way detract or distract from the main thrust of the story--which unquestionably belongs to Smith, who discounts any snarky and cynical claims of nepotism by delivering a truly star-making (or, rather, star-confirming) turn. He displays the best qualities of both of his movie star parents, and while the expectedly effortless charisma and affable personality is what initially strikes, what makes his performance and character so indelible is the very real, very relatable vulnerability he displays beneath the surface. Even more than selling the many action beats, Smith is adept at selling the emotional ones. This is no better exemplified than that crucial moment where Dre realizes the seemingly menial tasks Mr. Han has him do daily serve a greater purpose, and the look of simulaneously excited and frightened shock on Smith's is what makes what could simply be a cool and rousing movie moment into something genuinely poignant--and so goes the whole of Smith's performance and, in turn, the whole of Zwart's film.
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