Director Geoffrey Wright and screenwriter Victoria Hill (who also stars as Lady Macbeth) re-imagine Shakespeare’s classic tragedy into a contemporary tale of gang violence in Melbourne, Australia. Sam Worthington, Lachy Hulme, and Gary Sweet star. Here’s a HD trailer if you prefer, and you can also check out the official site. The film opens in limited release on Friday.
Macbeth
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This Week in Foreign Film Read More »
This French documentary from director Olivier Meyrou examines the brutal murder of Francois Chenu, after he admitted his homosexuality, by three skinheads. The film follows the struggle of his parents coming to terms with what happened, the trial, and examines the homophobia and intolerance that led to such a tragedy. Check out the official site. The documentary, presented in French with English subtitles, opens in limited release on Friday.
Beyond Hatred (Au-dela de la haine)
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This Week in Documentary Film Read More »
This loooong delayed film, which opened in several countries last fall, finally gets pulled off the shelf and dusted off for a US release. The film, based on the video game (yeah, that usually works out well) stars Jaime Pressly as superstar of women’s wrestling who enters a secret invitation-only martial arts contest. Other contestants include Holly Valance, Devon Aoki, and Sarah Carter. Check out the official site. The film cat-fights its way into theaters everywhere on Friday.
DOA: Dead or Alive
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The summer of three’s has been a disappointment as none of the third installments to their respective franchises has lived up to the hype. Sure Spider-Man 3 was okay, and Shrek 3 was okay, and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End didn’t suck too bad, but how about a delivering a sequel that deserves to be made!
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Yeah, I know what you’re gonna say. Another film about penguins? This time they surf? I know, I know, but hear me out. Unless you are totally penguined-out, Surf’s Up is worth a look. It’s an odd mix of intelligence and creativity and lowbrow humor that, when its not getting in its own way, provides a good message and an enjoyable ride. It might not be the best animated film you’ll see this year, but it is a memorable one.
Surf’s Up
3 & 1/2 Stars
Surfing penguins you ask? Yeah, I’ll admit the idea is a bit outside the box. Maybe that’s what I like about it. Surf’s Up isn’t a great animated film, but it’s a darn good one that, when it’s not too busy getting in its own way, provides a good story arc, memorable characters and some terrific animation.
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Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf) wants only one thing out of life, to become a surfer like his hero the famous Z. Cody leaves the cool confines of Antarctica to travel with a promoter (James Woods) and his assistant (Mario Cantone) to enter the Penguin World Surfing Championship.
There he meets a other competetors including Chicken Joe (Jon Heder), the nine-time defending champion Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader) the lovely lifeguard Lani (Zooey Deschanel) and her anti-social friend Geek (Jeff Bridges doing a pretty funny penguin version of the Dude) who hides out from the rest of the world in his shack up in the hills (don’t worry, he’s not a penguin unabomber).
The story isn’t anything new, but the choice of filming it as a documentary is a gutsy call. The entire film is presented with these characters speaking to and in front of the camera. It turns out to work wonderfully and gives the film a quite different feel from you average animated flick.
Where it gets into trouble, however, is when it cow-tows to the more base audience. The film is filled with cheap poop/fart humor that seems shoved in at random to get the young kiddies to laugh. I honestly wonder if the studio though the film was too smart for kids and demanded more cheap laughs. Although these don’t ruin the film, and many younger kids might like them, they do begin to wear on the older members of the audience.
Where the film succeeds is when it pushes the envelope and tries to create something new in a mockumentary approach to the fully realized world of competitive penguin surfing. The characters are well fleshed-out and the story, though predictable, is quite enjoyable – except when the film lowers itself for cheap jokes that mostly fall flat. It’s not the best animated film, but it does have a unique style and, in my opinion, is a superior film to last year’s Happy Feet (read the review). I guess I would rather see penguins surf than dance.
