Scary Movie 4

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Scary Movie 4
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Scary Movie 4

Okay, I went to see the first Scary Movie back in 2000 and I laughed, groaned, and winced my way through.  In the end I had a fine time but didn’t feel the need to see the next two sequels.  In watching the fourth film of the “trilogy,” which hits theaters today, I experienced a very strong deja vu reaction.  The parts that work still work and the parts that don’t…. well, still don’t.  Even with it’s flaws, the film does have just enough to offer for me to recommend it.  What, you ask?  Well…

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The Mild

/ / Movie Reviews

This movie helps you understand the Disney purchase of Pixar.  When Disney is stealing story, characters, plot, settings, and basically everything from Dreamworks… well, you know they’ve hit rock bottom.  The film is almost a carbon copy of last years Madagascar and despite the fact it steals everything but the kitchen sink it still took six writers to come up with this script.  Really?  Six writers?  For this? 

Is it worth seeing?  Did you like Madagascar?  Would you have liked it without Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimer and Jada Pinkett Smiith?  If the answer is yes than this summer’s good dumb fun flick for the whole family is just waiting for you.

The Wild
2 & 1/2 Stars

If you missed seeing Madagascar (check out Aaron’s review here) on the big screen here’s you chance!  Wow folks, Disney animation is in such a state of decline that it’s now stealing plot, character, scenes, dialogue, and story from Dreamworks.  Maybe Mickey Mouse needs to get a second job.

A group of animals leave the zoo and travel around New York then make their way on a boat to a beach and into the jungles of “the wild.”  There they are met by a tribe of strange singing and dancing creatures with a wacky ruler who puts one of the group in charge. 

Any of this sound familiar?  Well it should because it’s the exact plot to last year’s Madagascar but somehow it also turns out to be the plot to The Wild with only a few minor differences.  This time there is a lion (Kiefer Sutherland) and a giraffe (Jeneane Garofalo) but the zebra and hippo have been replaced by a squirrel (James Belushi), a snake (Richard Kind), and a koala bear (Eddie Izzard).  And the wacky but cute lemurs who sing and dance are replaced by the wacky but creepy wildebeasts who sing and dance (the leaders played here by William Shatner and Patrick Warburton in roles they could, and seemingly did, do in thier sleep).  The main structure of the story stays the same except this time the group leaves to rescue the lion’s son (Greg Cipes) rather than the zebra.

Along the way there’s some nice music, tons and tons of (rather pointless and monotonous) dialogue, and a few clever jokes.  Kids will probably enjoy the film and it’s the type of nice dumb summer comedy that seems to play well with families.  But, aside from the similarities with the superior Madagascar, which itself is only so-so, there are a few problems.

First off there are some mind-numbing inexcusable missteps and miscues.  One such example: the group of animals escape the New York Zoo and drive around the city in a dump truck.  Aside from how lame that sounds the computer animation people didn’t create a single car (parked or moving) or a single person walking around the city as they drive through the completely empty and spotless streets of New York including Times Square.  Did I fall asleep?  Are they doing an animated version of Vanilla Sky?  Or did they just run out of money in the animation budget?  I would rather except those excuses than the more obvious one that the creators saw this as a meaningless kids film that didn’t need the level of detail and realism you would get in a Powerpuff Girls episode.  There are quite a few such problems in the film though this is one of the most glaring.

The acting is fine but only Izzard’s koala bear is given any interesting dialogue (and you can tell most of his funny bits were all ad-libbed).  Shatner and Walburton are pretty good as the villains (aside from being so far over-the-top they make Bobcat Goldthwait look sedated).  But when the most interesting characters of a movie are villains who still aren’t that compelling you know you’ve run into a disasterous dud of a Disney film (yeah, I like my alliteration).

The animation is the computer style that tries to add a bit of realism with showing you every hair or scail on the animals.  While interesting to look at I prefer the older style of animation than this new look that hasn’t yet been perfected.  And even if it is pretty to look at and does give you a couple chuckles that’s not saying much for a feature length animated film from Disney.  A big miss here for the house that Mickey built.  Hopefully the Pixar deal will breathe some much needed life into what used to be the best animated studio around because all its doing right now is making Dreamworks look much better by comparision.

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Name That Channel!!

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Comcast and Sony have come to an agreement to create a new cable network this fall.  What’s the subject matter you ask?  The yet-to-be-named channel will host horror and thriller movies and television programs from the vast Sony/MGM libraries.  So what should this new channel be called?  Well, we decided to put it to you readers in hopes of finding a winner or two.  C’mon folks here’s your chance!  SCARE-TV, SPOOK, THRILL, Tilda Swinton Network (hey, she’s pretty scary)??  What ya’ got?

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TV News

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Okie-dokie folks, here’s a few bits of news on the TV front for you today.  Kiefer Sutherland signed a new deal to continue 24 for three more seasons, and based on his new animated film The Wild (check back Friday for that review) this is a wise decsion indeed.  Also in the news Aaron Sorkin’s newest show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is creating quite a bit of buzz amongst media buyers.  The show is a behind the scenes look at a TV show (nope, not a sports show…damn that was great TV) this one’s a about stars of a sketch comedy show whose cast is really starting to fill out – Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Sarah Paulson, D.L. Hughley, Timothy Busfield, Nathan Coddry (of Daily Show fame), and Steven Weber.  Aaron Sorkin back on TV?  YEEEESSSS!!!!  Finally, as interest to all you Winnie the Pooh fans out there, that honey lovin’ bear got his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame alongside other animated greats such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.  Congrats!  Now if we could just get one for Underdog.

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New on DVD

/ / Home Video News 

We’re here to let you know what’s out there for your entertainment dollar.  Every week a new batch of DVD’s gets shipped out and thrown onto the shelves.  This week we’ve got films with Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni, Robert Redford and Jennifer Lopez, and Maria Bello and Sean Bean, an uncensored stop on the Insomniac Tour, a new collection of Laurel and Hardy DVD’s, season sets of The Bob Newhart Show, Farscape, and In Living Color, and more.  Take a peek inside for the full list.

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Here’s what is getting released today on DVD:

Film:

Fun with Dick & Jane – Jim Carrey and Tea Teoni play a married couple who turn to a life of crime after he loses his job.  Remake of the 1977 original with George Segal and Jane Fonda.  The DVD contains commentary with director Dean Parisot and screewriters Judd Apatow and Nicholas Stoller, deleted scenes, a gag reel and pubicity junket outtakes.

An Unfinished Life – A widow (Jennifer Lopez) and her daughter (Becca Gardner) move to a Wyoming ranch to stay with her father-in-law (Robert Redford) who blames her for the death of his son.  Morgan Freeman and Josh Lucas also star.  The DVD contains commentary by director Lasse Hallstrom, a still gallery, and featurettes on the making of the film and training Bart the bear.

The Greatest Game Ever Played – True story of Francis Ouimet’s surprising victory at the 1913 US Open gets the “based on true events’ treatment here.  Directed by Bill Paxton the film stars his son James Paxton.  The DVD includes commentary by the director and writer Mark Frost and a collection of featurettes on the film and the Francis Ouimet.

Wolf Creek (Unrated Version) – Forgettable horror flick from last year that begins with a group of friends in the Australian Outback and ends with lots of running, screaming, and dead bodies.  The DVD contains commentary from writer/director Greg McLean, producer Matt Hearn, and actors Cassandra Magrath and Kesti Morassi, a featurette on the making of the film, and deleted scenes.

The Dark – Only slightly less forgettable horror flick starring Sean Bean and Maria Bello who play parents of a drowned child who encounter a ghost of a young girl who died 60 years ago and looks more than a little like their daughter.  The only extra incuded on the disc is an alternative ending.

Mission Impossible Collector’s Set – Repackaging the first two films and the extras from those discs on this new all-in-one collection.  Also out today is a separate remastered vesion of the special collector’s editon of the first film.

Family/Animated:

Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin – Christpher Robin goes off to school and Pooh, misunderstanding the situation, rounds up the gang to organize a rescue mission.  Extras include a bonus short, a game, and Pooh’s symphony.

Bratz: Genie Magic – Adventures of fashion concious teens Cloe, Jade, Sasha, and Yasmin who befriend a genie in this movie version of the computer animated television show.  The set includes an extra episode of the show.

Collections:

Laurel and Hardy Giftset – Three of the duos films from the early 40’s Jitterbugs, Great Guns, and The Big Noise are packaged together here.  Extras inclue commentary by historian Randy Skretvedt, Movietone news clips, still galleries, original trailers, and featurettes on the duo.

TV:

Dave Attell’s Insoniac Tour Uncensored! Presents Sean Rouse, Greg Giraldo, and Dane Cook – The Insomiac Tour presents 98 minutes of uncensored stand-up from Attell, Rousse, Giraldo, and Cook.

The Bob Newhart Show – The Complete Third Season – Dr. Bob and gang return for 24 episodes.  The collection includes commentary by Newhart for three episodes and a featurette on the making of the show.

The Merv Griffin Show – 40 of the Most Interesting People of Our Time – Clips from the show that lasted almost a quarter of a century on network TV.  The set includes over nine hours of interviews with guests ranging from Jerry Seinfeld, Ingrid Bergman, and Orson Welles, to Ronald Regan and Richard Nixon.  Extras on the set include a video montage of Merv Griffin and select commentary.

Farscape – Season 3, Collection 3 – The last seven episodes of the third season of the Sci-fi original.  The collection also contains commentary for four of the episodes by directors, cast and series creator Rockne S. O’Bannon.  Also included are cast interviews, deleted scenes, original promos, featurettes on the aliens of the show and the third season, updated character histories, and production design galleries.

In Living Color – Season Five – Final season of the Wayans’ sketch comedy includes all 26 episodes on three discs with Jamie Foxx, Jim Carrey, David Allen Grier and more.

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