New Releases:
I've never attempted to hide my abhorrence of
computer-animated movies featuring talking animals. But the astonishingly
positive reception of "Ratatouille" made me doubt slightly my hesitations.
Although "Ratatouille" is not the best animated feature of this generation, it
proves itself as a formidable and fun film, returning some credibility to its
genre.
Blending the stories of Remy, a food connoisseur rat who
dreams of creating food instead of just stealing garbage, and Linguini, a
teenage boy hired as the garbage boy at Gusteau's — the restaurant of Remy's
icon and muse — the two meet when Remy becomes separated from his pack and
finds himself in Paris, drawn to the restaurant of his hero. There, he and
Linguini team-up — Remy uses Linguini's body to cook, but once the food is
critically received, they must keep up the ruse without exposing their
partnership, or they'll both end up eating garbage in alleyways.
While it succeeds more as a family-adventure movie than a
comedy, it's surprisingly entertaining for adults, making it rather universally
enjoyable. Never boring, nor excessively juvenile in its antics, "Ratatouille"
is entertaining and light, with a take-home presented in a surprisingly original
way.
4 1/2 stars out of 5
“Shrek the Third”
DreamWorks is back with more of the lumbering green ogre in
the latest trip to the land of Far, Far Away. But the momentum and originality
is gone, as is much of the writing staff of the prior two films, leaving Shrek
and the gang reliant on desperate jokes, slapstick humor and general
somberness. Nevertheless, "Shrek the Third" occasionally does find the
humorous, nuanced niche of the series, and occasionally hits the mark as well,
even in its departure from that.
The biggest flaw of "Shrek the Third" is the dead weight
that the main characters have become — Shrek, Fiona and even Donkey deliver
almost no laughs the entire film, though that doesn't stop them from painfully
trying. It seems like carrying the plot and being humorous is too much of a
task for them, or at least the writers. Where is the sharp, subtle screenplay
that mocked Starbucks in the second movie (OK, maybe not subtle)? Thankfully
comic relief is sufficiently provided in the supporting cast; Merlin the
screwball wizard, Fiona's princess gang of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and
Cinderella, Queen Lillian, Puss in Boots, and of course Gingerbread Man, who
gets his own hilarious life-montage. "Shrek" also delivers well as far as
animation goes, bringing the series to a much-improved level of CG realism. The
soundtrack is also the least obnoxious yet from the Shrek series; there's no
Smashmouth or Ricky Martin covers to be found this time around.
Not quite living up to the series, "Shrek the Third" is
still entertaining, as well as a bit dissatisfying, leaving us uneasily
wondering what muddy swamp the fourth installment will be dragged through.
2 1/2 stars out of 5
“Paris, je t'aime“
A peculiar feature, "Paris je t'aime" is a collective piece
featuring 18 short films from some the top American and European directors, all
set in a different arrondissement
(borough) of Paris. They all deal with some sort of love as well; love lost,
love forgotten, chance love, love of ones self, love of ones culture, spiritual
love, love of family, dead love, even undead love, as seen in one graphic novel
melodrama on vampires.
The creations of the somewhat unknown directors, and rather
famous ones (Alfonso Cuarón, Tom Twyker, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven, the Coen
brothers and Alexander Payne) all beautifully capture the enchantment of Paris,
leaving no doubt as to why they chose the infamous City of Lights for such a
project. Although not every vignette is completely successful, they're all
moving in some way, whether it is heartwarming or heartbreaking. And that's
exactly the beauty of "Paris, je t'aime": Since it's a collaborative piece,
everyone will surely fall in love with at least one of the shorts. If nothing
else, it isn't too demanding on one's attention, as each story lasts only
around 10 minutes. It's also refreshing to see so many professionally-made
short films, which are a lost genre in today's Hollywood entertainment world.
"Paris, Je T'aime" is a stunning collection of inspiration,
romance and life, able to be appreciated by anyone not yet completely jaded by
love.
4 1/2 stars out of 5
Also out this week:
All-star cast of conmen in "Ocean's 13"; historic time-piece
of anti-slavery pioneer in Britain, "Amazing Grace"; and biography of legendary
French singer Edith Piaf, "La Vie en Rose."
Coming out 11/20:
"Hairspray" remake starring John Travolta; more mindless
action by Bruce Willis, "Live Free or Die Hard" (I'll take the second); "Rescue
Dawn," Werner Herzog's fictional companion piece to his documentary about an obsessive
Vietnam survivor; and "Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause," further sullying the
name of Christmas movies and the already long-gone reputation of Tim Allen.
