From the ArcaMax Publishing, Family Film Reviews Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/familyfilms/s-570723-930469
"Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen" (PG-13, 2
hrs., 30 min.)
In July 2007, The Family Filmgoer told readers that the first
"Transformers" (PG-13) film, based on TV 'toons, comic books and a
1986 animated film, was great fun, with vivid human characters to
offset battles between the giant, quick-changing Autobot robotic
warriors and their Decepticon enemies. The Filmgoer noted that
director Michael Bay didn't let the movie drown in "techno-trivia."
Well, "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" makes that mistake in a
big way. Bay puts all emphasis on battling 'bots and not nearly enough
on people in this sequel. The film is endless and boring, at times
resembling an old Hong Kong action flick with badly dubbed English
dialogue -- but without the humor. The plot is nearly incomprehensible
to anyone other than Transformers superfans. They and other
high-schoolers who appreciate this style of sci-fi action may be
entertained. Those seeking an actual story will doze off early.
In addition to relatively bloodless but intense 'bot fighting, the
movie contains enough crude sexual innuendo -- some of it involving
dogs, some with a female Decepticon with a long metallic tongue -- to
make it problematic in parents' minds for middle-schoolers. The hero,
Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), nearly has his skull cut open so
Decepticons can probe his brain. There is crude language and some
profanity, an extended joke about an adult getting high on marijuana
brownies, and toilet humor. There is human warfare with guns, fighter
jets and explosions.
Sam, who as a teen in the first film discovered the ancient alien race
of Autobots and Decepticons, is now ready for college and hoping his
romance with the free-spirited Mikaela (Megan Fox) will survive. But
unrest in the 'bot world interrupts Sam's life. The Decepticons plan
to attack Earth and destroy the sun. They're also in search of an
artifact Sam may have. The action moves from suburbia to Egypt, where
the heroic Autobot Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) battles a
revived Megatron (Hugo Weaving) and humans try to stay out of the way.
"My Sister's Keeper" (PG-13, 1hr., 49 min.)
When a reviewer criticizes a film about a family dealing with a
child's terminal illness, please know that the reviewer isn't
belittling the tragedy itself. "My Sister's Keeper," based on the
novel by Jodi Picoult, is a turgid weeper, so overstuffed with
emotional montages set to sentimental music and confusing flashbacks
and voice-overs that the narrative thread unravels. What saves the
movie is its excellent cast. Their unfussy, deeply felt performances
mostly work against the sugary elements that director Nick Cassavetes
apparently judged essential. High-schoolers and mature
middle-schoolers could be very moved by the film because key
characters, sisters Anna (Abigail Breslin) and Kate (Sofia
Vassilieva), are young, too.
The film is fairly graphic in portraying how Kate has suffered since
she was very little from a rare form of leukemia. It depicts severe
nosebleeds, vomiting from chemotherapy, baldness and deathly pallor.
There are hints of medical procedures with large needles. It shows
Anna, Kate's healthy younger sister, screaming on an operating table
as a toddler when doctors prepare to use her blood or bone marrow to
help Kate. An adult character has an epileptic seizure. The movie
includes comic sexual innuendo, a subtly implied sexual situation
between two terminally ill teens (we see them cuddling afterwards with
bare backs on a bed). There is some profanity, beer-drinking and a
brief street scene with prostitutes.
When Sara Fitzgerald (Cameron Diaz, doing her best work) learns her
daughter Kate is ill, she and husband Brian (Jason Patric) have
another child, genetically engineered so that her blood and organs
will match Kate's. That's Anna. When Kate relapses around age 15,
Anna, age 11, is expected to give her a kidney. Anna goes to a slick
lawyer (Alec Baldwin) and asks him to sue her parents for her medical
freedom.
It's not that Brian and Sara -- particularly the single-minded Sara --
don't love their neglected son Jesse (Evan Ellingson), or Anna, but
Kate's illness, especially for Sara, has become an obsession.
Beyond the Ratings Game: Movie Reviews for various
ages
-- OK FOR KIDS 6 AND OLDER:
"Up" PG -- A near-total delight, despite its too-convoluted
second half, this wildly imaginative Pixar animated film tells the
tale of a little boy, Russell (voice of Jordan Nagai), and an elderly
widower, Carl (Edward Asner), who float to South America in a
balloon-propelled house and on the way forge a deep friendship. Kids
under 6 may fidget or get confused during the film's quieter moments.
And there are genuinely scary scenes for under-6s, in which
threatening dogs chase Carl and Russell. The villain, a crazed old
explorer (Christopher Plummer), goes after them with a dirigible,
dart-shooting planes and a shotgun. Scenes showing how Carl met his
late wife Ellie when they were kids and a wordless montage about their
loving marriage are mini-masterpieces. After Ellie dies, Carl, a
retired balloon salesman, clashes with his neighbors and is
court-ordered to a retirement home. Instead, he rigs his old house
with balloons and floats up, up and away -- only to find Russell, a
lumpy neighborhood kid, clinging to the porch. Though the old explorer
sics his dogs (wearing hilarious "talking collars") on them, Carl and
Russell meet one friendly pooch and a bumptious exotic bird. "Up" is
preceded by "Partly Cloudy" (G), a charming short about little clouds
who make babies, puppies and kittens, and one cloud who makes
alligators, sharks and such.
"Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" (PG). Bursting
with special effects and plot, this lively, but charmless sequel to
"Night at the Museum" (PG, 2006) will keep kids 6 and older engaged,
if not in stitches. Despite its often deliberately scrambled facts,
the film could spark kids' interest in everything from aviation
history to art. The littlest ones may briefly cower at a roaring T.
rex skeleton, a giant squid, Egyptian warriors with shrieking eagles'
heads, the statue from the Lincoln Memorial coming to life or planes
zooming around the National Air and Space Museum. Guns, swords and
clubs are wielded, but no one gets hurt. Larry (Ben Stiller), the
night security guard from the New York museum in the first film, hears
that the old exhibits, which came to life only while he was on duty,
are being sent to the Smithsonian to be mothballed. He gets a tip that
the ancient pharaoh Kahmunrah (Hank Azaria) is wreaking havoc. Larry
and a spunky Amelia Earhart (Amy Adams) save the day on the National
Mall.
-- OK FOR KIDS 8 AND OLDER:
"Imagine That" PG -- Eddie Murphy plays Evan, a high-powered
Denver investment whiz and divorced dad who can't relate to his
7-year-old daughter, in this intermittently amusing family comedy. The
story has a cobbled-together feel, with long bits about Evan's office
life that could make kids super-fidgety. The central premise is
clever, but underdeveloped: Evan discovers that his little girl Olivia
(Yara Shahidi) and her imaginary friends, whom she conjures while
under her beloved "Goo-Gaa" blanket, offer better investment advice
for his clients than he does. His rival at work is a slick broker
named Johnny Whitefeather (Thomas Haden Church in a borderline
offensive role), as a probably fake Native American. There is rare
mild profanity, brief toilet humor, a divorce theme (Olivia lives with
her mother) and an awkward scene in which Evan sneaks into a little
girls' slumber party to grab Olivia's "magic" blanket.
-- PG-13s OF VARYING INTENSITY:
"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (NEW) -- The Filmgoer
noted back in 2007 that director Michael Bay didn't let the first
"Transformers" film (also PG-13) drown in "techno-trivia." Well, he
lets "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" drown big-time. Bay puts
all emphasis on battles between the giant, quick-changing robotic
warriors -- the good Autobots and the evil Decepticons. The film is
endless and boring despite a good cast. The plot is nearly
incomprehensible except to Transformers superfans and perhaps
high-schoolers who appreciate this kind of sci-fi/action mix. Others
will snooze. In addition to relatively bloodless but intense 'bot
battles, the movie contains human warfare and enough crude sexual
innuendo to make it problematic for middle-schoolers. The young hero,
Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), nearly has his skull cut open so
Decepticons can probe his brain. There is some profanity, an extended
joke about an adult getting high on marijuana brownies, and toilet
humor. Sam, who discovered the ancient alien race of Autobots and
Decepticons in the first film, is now starting college and hoping his
romance with the free-spirited Mikaela (Megan Fox) will survive. But
Decepticons plan to attack Earth. They're also seeking an artifact Sam
may have. The action moves from suburbia to Egypt, where good Autobot
Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen) battles the evil Megatron (Hugo
Weaving) while Sam, Mikaela and others try to stay out of the way and
avert the destruction of Earth.
"My Sister's Keeper" (NEW) -- The Family Filmgoer is in no way
belittling the tragedy of a terminally ill child when she writes that
"My Sister's Keeper," based on the novel by Jodi Picoult, is a turgid
weeper. What nearly saves the movie is its excellent cast, whose
unfussy, deeply felt performances work against the sugary montages and
confusing flashbacks and voice-overs that tangle the narrative thread.
High-schoolers and mature middle-schoolers may be very moved by the
film because key characters Anna (Abigail Breslin) and Kate (Sofia
Vassilieva) are young, too. It is fairly graphic in portraying Kate's
leukemia, showing nosebleeds, vomiting from chemotherapy and baldness.
There are hints of medical procedures with large needles. A flashback
shows Anna screaming as a toddler when doctors prepare to take some of
her blood or bone marrow to help Kate. The movie includes comic sexual
innuendo, a subtly implied sexual situation between two terminally ill
teens (we see them cuddling afterwards with bare backs on a bed). An
adult character has an epileptic seizure. There is some profanity,
beer-drinking and a scene showing prostitutes on the street. When Sara
Fitzgerald (Cameron Diaz, doing her best work) learns her daughter
Kate is ill, she and husband Brian (Jason Patric) have another child,
Anna, who is genetically engineered so her blood and organs will match
Kate's. When Kate relapses around age 15, Anna, age 11 is expected to
give her a kidney. Anna goes to a slick lawyer (Alec Baldwin) and asks
him to sue her parents for her medical freedom. Her motives are
complex. Brian and Sara -- particularly the single-minded Sara have
become obsessed with Kate's illness.
"The Proposal" -- This romantic comedy trifle is about as
original as corn flakes, but it has the advantage of a first-rate
comic cast and crackling repartee. Teens with a romantic, slightly
older sensibility may find it fun. However, it includes a lot of
sexual humor that could give parents of middle-schoolers pause,
including a sort-of-but-not-really nude scene (which gets a big laugh)
in which Bullock and co-star Ryan Reynolds accidentally crash into
each other naked. The moment is so digitally cleansed, the actors
could be in body stockings, but the intent is to titillate. There is
midrange sexual slang and innuendo, including a threat to castrate
someone, and a male exotic dancer in a G-string. The script contains
moderate profanity and a tasteless remark about immigrants. Bullock
plays Margaret, hard-driving editor at a New York publishing house.
Reynolds plays her harried assistant, Andrew. As a Canadian whose visa
has run out, Margaret faces deportation. She coerces the horrified
Andrew into becoming her fiance. They travel to his Alaska hometown to
meet his mom (Mary Steenburgen), dad (Craig T. Nelson), and frisky
grandmother (Betty White). It's amusing to watch Margaret thaw into a
person there.
"Year One" -- Finding the yucks in the Book of Genesis can be
broad or silly, but it shouldn't be boring. That's the issue with
"Year One." There are amusing passages with co-stars Jack Black and
Michael Cera as Bronze Age buddies Zed and Oh, wandering through a
sort of early-Old Testament cyclorama, but the film doesn't flow so
much as hiccup. High-schoolers may go for the sake of comic actors
Black and Cera, but a passing familiarity with Genesis would also
help. The film is too bawdy for some middle-schoolers. There is strong
comic sexual innuendo, including an implied but nonexplicit orgy (in
the cursed city of Sodom) and homophobic humor. There is nongraphic
violence, as when Cain (David Cross) slays Abel (Paul Rudd) and when a
soldier beheads someone. There is midrange profanity, sexual slang,
crude sexual gestures, a protracted discussion of circumcision and
toilet humor. There is a theme about sacrificing virgin girls to pagan
gods, and characters are sold into slavery. Zed (Black) eats the
forbidden fruit of Knowledge and accidentally burns down his village.
Oh (Cera) joins him in exile. The idea of two guys in ancient times
who talk "modern" doesn't seem nearly as cutting-edge or funny as it
did in when John Belushi and Bill Murray, or Mel Brooks, did it 30 or
40 years ago.
"Land of the Lost" -- It's packed with clever visual jokes and
comedically adept actors, but even so "Land of the Lost" is a bit of a
bore. Teenaged Will Ferrell fans may be tickled by it, but only
sporadically. Based on the 1970s Saturday-morning TV series, it
follows the misadventures of crackpot scientist Rick Marshall
(Ferrell) and his invention, which enables "sideways" time travel. The
machine transports Rick, a pretty British scholar named Holly (Anna
Friel), and a crass, random guy named Will (Danny McBride) into
another dimension. They dodge a charging T. rex, and meet a furry
young man named Chaka (Jorma Taccone), the lizard-like "Sleestak" Enik
(John Boylan) and his enemy The Zarn (Leonard Nimoy). There is much
sexual innuendo and gay humor, briefly implied toplessness, toilet
humor, midrange profanity, an exploding dinosaur and a giant
blood-sucking mosquito. The men sip a hallucinogenic drink. There's
too much sexual content for grade-schoolers, and younger kids who
don't get that may find the T. rex scary.
-- R's:
"The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" -- The dialogue and action crackle
to heart-pounding effect in this re-imagining of the 1974 film (also
an R) and original book by John Godey. Director Tony Scott's frenetic,
showy style suits the subject matter, for once, to a tee -- a
hijacking and taking of hostages (some of whom are shot) on a New York
City subway. Scott sharply conjures the terror below ground and the
churning chaos above. Denzel Washington is terrific as Walter Garber,
a subway
dispatcher in need of redemption, forced to deal via radio with the
cunning lead hijacker (John Travolta, doing evil with panache).
High-schoolers who like intelligent thrillers ought to find this one
gripping. There are bloody shootings of bad buys and innocents.
Children are among the hostages. Phobics note: There are rats in the
subway tunnel. The script contains strong profanity, brief crude
sexual
innuendo and a couple of ethnic slurs.
"The Hangover" -- A frat comedy for grown-ups that will also
attract teens, "The Hangover" is very funny, but many parents would
find it too crudely sexualized and profane for under-17s. It follows
the adventures of three guys (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach
Galifianakis) who bachelor-party so hard in Las Vegas that they wake
up to discover they've lost the groom (Justin Bartha). In their
trashed hotel suite they find a baby, a chicken and Mike Tyson's pet
tiger. Then they retrace their steps. The film has very strong
profanity, rear-view nudity and toplessness, crude sexual language and
innuendo, implied sexual situations, homophobic slurs, gross toilet
humor, drug humor, and a poor joke about a grandmother's "Holocaust
ring."