The Smurfs 2

COMEDY, SCI-FI/FANTASY

Smurfier the Second Smurf Around

8.00 out of 10 | MOVIE OR DVD

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Rated: PG Some rude humor and action
Release Date: July 31, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Director: Raja Gosnell
Writers: J. David Stern, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Karey Kirkpatrick, based on characters created by Peyo
Cast: Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Jayma Mays, Jacob Tremblay, Katy Perry, Christina Ricci, Jonathan Winters, J.B. Smoove, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, John Oliver, Frank Welker

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SYNOPSIS:  The Smurfs team up with their human friends to rescue Smurfette, who has been kidnapped by Gargamel since she knows a secret spell that can turn the evil sorcerer's newest creation - creatures called the Naughties - into real Smurfs.

REVIEW: Scooby-Doo director Raja Gosnell returns to the franchise and the follow up to the 2011 The Smurfs movie. With a story written by a a collection of scribes in the form of J. David Stern, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick, David Ronn, and Karey Kirkpatrick, The Smurfs 2 boasts as many writers as their are Smurfs!.

It's Smurfette's (Katy Perry) birthday today and all the Smurfs are putting together a surprise party. What they don't know is that every year she has bad dreams of being created by Gargamel (Hank Azaria) and not being a real Smurf. Papa Smurf (Jonathan Winters) tells her that she's just as much a Smurf as all the other blue friends around. In our world, Gargamel has become a famous magician with the help of the Smurf essence he had stolen from Papa Smurf for his wand. With his magical essence running out, Gargamel hatches a plan that, if successful, will keep Gargamel in as much magical blue essence as he wants. The only thing he needs is the secret formula that Papa Smurf used to make Smurfette's a real blue Smurf. Using his two newly created creatures, Vexy (Christina Ricci) and Hackus (J.B. Smoove) called the Naughtiest, Gargamel sends them to kidnap Smurfette to get the formula out of her. Papa Smurf, Clumsy (Anton Yelchin), Grouchy (George Lopez) and Vanity (John Oliver) all travel to New York, and then Paris, to help track her down. They're also assisted by Patrick (Neil Patrick Harris), Grace (Jayma Mays), Blue (Jacob Trembley) Winslet's, and Patrick's stepfather Victor (Brendan Gleeson). Can the Smurfs and the Winslet's get to Smurfette in time before she is tricked into giving up the secret formula?

The Smurfs return in an and all-new adventure, taking place after the events the first the Smurfs movie. The Smurfs have returned to their hidden Smurf Village and Gargamel, trapped in our world, has become an Internet and global sensation since people have seen him use his Smurf Essence magic. The Smurfs are as cute as ever. The best thing about these movies is that there are so many Smurfs to choose from that it can keep each story different and interesting. Especially for the kids.

The smurfs are as blue as ever and fun to watch with their antics and personalities. The addition of Vexy and Hackus as the Naughties brings even more fun. Hank Azaria's Gargamel is spot on as always. The CGI rendered Azreal (voiced by Frank Welker) brings as much comic relief as Gargamel and then Naughties combine. And with Clumsy in the mix, you can't help but chuckle a bit throughout.

The Smurfs 2 is a tale about family and how you choose to see yourself. Smurfette wrestles with the fact that she was not a true Smurf at the beginning, and magically turn into a Smurf by Papa. While created by Gargamel, and transformed by Papa Smurf, Smurfette needs to find out who she really is. The winlet's have the same issue where grandpa Victor Doyle stepped in to Neil Patrick Harris's character to replace his father for which Harris never forgave him. Both harris and smurfette need to learn that who they are is all about who they choose to be not where they came from.

The Smurfs 2 is filled with voice talent! Besides the main cast of voiced characters, the film boast Fred Armisen as Brainy Smurf, Jeff Foxworthy as Handy Smurf, Alan Cummings as Gutsy Smurf, Joel McCrary as Farmer Smurf, Kenan Thompson as Greedy Smurf, Paul Reubens as Jokey Smurf, Shaquille O'Neal as Smooth Smurf, B.J. Novak as Baker Smurf, Jimmy Kimmel as Passive-Aggressive Smurf, Shaun White as Clueless Smurf, Mario Lopez as Social Smurf, and John Kassir as Crazy Smurf.

The Smurfs 2 is a likable kids mixed animation/live-action film that has a good story, good effects, and a good lesson. You should the first flick to see how the smurfs came to know the winlettes and how gargamel was exiled to our world. There is a little bit of something for kids and adults, you just have to let the Smurf into your heart.

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The Pirates: Band of Misfits 3D

Laugh Your Booty Off!

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Rated: PG Mild action, rude humor and some language
Release Date: April 27, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 28 mins

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Director: Peter Lord, Jeff Newitt
Writers: Gideon Defoe, based on his books 'The Pirates! in an Adventures with Scientists' and 'The Pirates!  in an Adventure with Whaling'
Cast: Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Martin Freeman, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton

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SYNOPSIS: Trying again to win the coveted Pirate of the Year award given out annually on Blood Island by the Pirate King, the Pirate Captain travels the high seas in search gold booty and notoriety to clinch the first place trophy.

REVIEW: Peter Lord, director of the 2000 Chicken Run, takes a break from the drudgery of producing various Walter and Gromit films and Arthur Christmas to return to the wheel to rudder in a new animated kids movie based on the works of Gideon Defoe. Based on elements from Defoe's 'The Pirates! in an Adventure with Scientists' and 'The Pirates! in an Adventure in Whaling', director Peter Lord takes us on kid-friendly adventure on the high seas.

The Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant, Did You Hear About the Morgans?) has the adoration of his crew, with weekly Ham Night dinners and upbeat attitudes. Since he hasn't yet won the coveted Pirate of the Year award, he believes he is a shoo-in to win this year. Traveling to Blood Island where the annual event is held, he realizes that he doesn't have the ruthlessness of Cutlass Liz (voiced by Selma Hayek, Puss in Boots) or the gold booty of Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven, Entourage) to stand out from the pirate crowd to win. Laughed off the island, the Pirate Captain vows to return with chests full of treasure to win the entire competition. When the Captain and his crew come across Charles Darwin (David Tennent, Fright Night), Darwin makes a discovery that could led the Pirate Captain to win the Scientist of the Year award in London and have enough gold to get back to the Pirate of the Year ceremony to win!

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is a silly, high-seas romp following a group of scurvy pirates with only hope in their hearts and cutlasses in their hands. Following their Pirate Captain into any adventures are his Number 2 man, the Pirate with a Scarf (voiced by Martin Freeman, What's Your Number?), the Albino Pirate (voiced by Anton Yelchin, Fright Night), the Pirate with Gout (voiced by Brendan Gleeson, The Raven), the Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (voiced by Ashley Jensen, Arthur Christmas), the Pirate Who Likes Sunset and Kittens (voiced by Al Roker, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa), and more. With formidable names like that, the Captain and his crew are certainly pirates not to be trifled with. Add in a big boned parrot named Polly, and you have a formula of adventure and high sea hi-jinks.

The Wallace and Gromit type of animation has come such a long way. Still a little choppy and 'stop-action-y', the world that the Aardman Animation studios created is so intricate and detailed. From the opening panning shot of 1837 London that flies over the town, through windows, and chandeliers hanging in Queen Victoria's (voiced by Imelda Staunton, Arthur Christmas) dining chambers, the film has more depth and weight than any of it’s style of film produced before. Director Peter Lord is quick to point out the importance of the 300 plus crew members in all aspects of the films design and production. From the beautiful ebb and flow of the CGI ocean tides to the fog banks of Victorian London, The Pirates! Band of Misfits approaches true CGI production quality without sacrificing the three dimensionality of stop action artistry the studio is known for.

What thumps within this pirate's chest of a movie is heart, not gold trinkets. Of course, the Pirate Captain is not that successful in plundering for ample treasure for his crew, but he makes up for it with his crew with fun and planned events. From water skiing behind the ship to the weekly dance-filled Ham dinners, the Captain and the crew are a close-knit family. No matter what obstacles come their way, this seafaring group will stay united. Even Polly the Parrot is considered the heart of the family! The Captain may stray off course with visions of trophies and awards from time to time but we hope, with a little bit of support from his mates, that he comes through in the end.

In the tradition of Walter and Gromit, Flushed Away, and Chicken Run, Aardman Animation studios bring a silly, salty, sea worthy whale of a tale to the silver screen. Hugh Grant voice transforms itself from his usually stuttering, unsure self to a confident cutlass-toting man of the sea. Gleeson, Yelchin, and Freeman are endearing as part of the crew. Gleeson emotes his typical gruff self, Yelchin is as innocent as he was in The Smurfs, and Freeman remains ever even and faithful to his commander. On the other side of the sea, Imelda Staunton commands notice as Queen Victoria. David Tennent plays both sides as the evolutionist Charles Darwin.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits is a funny, creative and daffy look at a life at sea. Full of action and adventure, both on the ocean and on solid ground, the film will delight children and adults alike. Like a captain following the North Star, this animation holds true in its course of humor and message. There may be better and more ruthless pirate captains out there on the ocean, but this Pirate Captain is worth dropping anchor for.

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WORTH: Matinee or DVD

The Raven

Quote the Raven Nevermore

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Rated: R Bloody Violence and grisly images
Release Date: April 27, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

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Director: James McTeigue
Writers:  Ben Livingston, Hannah Shakespeare
Cast: John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McNally, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jimmy Yuill

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SYNOPSIS: In his last days, Edgar Allan Poe is forced to assist the Baltimore Police hunt down a madman creating grisly scenes based on Poe's written work.

REVIEW: Director James McTeigue has made the move from first assistant director in such films as The Matrix trilogy and Speed Racer to helm his own films as evidenced by V for Vendetta  and Ninja Assassin. With a script from screenwriting newcomer Ben Livingston and TV series and TV movie writer Hannah Shakespeare, McTeigue delves into Edgar Allan Poe as a true character of American literature and history, and as a fictionalized character in the hunt for a serial killer idolizing his works.

Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack, 2012) struggles with his finances, his inspiration, and his reputation as he walks the streets of Baltimore, Maryann in October 1849. Always an outsider and pitted against the establishment, Poe tries to make money from newspaper reviews and tries to win the hand of Captain Hamilton's (Brendan Gleeson, Safe House) daughter Emily (Alice Eve, She's Out of My League). At the same time Poe courts Emily against the captain's wishes, the Baltimore Police Department is stumped by a series of grisly deaths. Although capably led by Captain Eldridge (Jimmy Yuill, Retreat), Inspector Fields (Luke Evans) is called in to investigate due to the grotesque and horrific nature of the latest crime scene. When Fields connects the writings of Edgar Allan Poe to the actual crime scene description, Poe first becomes a suspect then an expert on his own writings as he and the police try to track down the serial killer before he completes crimes of more of Poe's work.

If you are a fan of Victorian Era period films, The Raven fits nicely in the genre. Darker than Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Cusack's Poe is just as brilliant and troubled. But in Poe's case, he doesn't have a trusty doctor partner watching his back. More akin to Johnny Depp's From Hell, Poe lives a solitary existence as he stumbles through the swirling fogged cobble stoned streets of Baltimore, his only anchor to his sanity a lovely girl of proper stature and station named Emily whose own father resents that his daughter associates with the likes of a starving artist like Poe.

When the engaging story of the man named Poe is not center stage, the serial killer using Poe's stories as murderous inspiration is. Using the details from such Poe fiction as "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Cask of Amontillado", this shadowy figure baffles the police department. Only when Inspector Fields jumps into the investigative fray does the machinations of the serial killer come to the surface. Using Poe's own work the killer forces the writer to play along in a game of cat-and-mouse, the writer of fiction pitted against a killer using that fiction for his own all-too-real grotesque ends.

Shot in Eastern Europe, McTiegue and crew used their isolated surrounds, period architecture, cobblestone streets and wintry nights and pre-dawns to draw the audience into a mid-19th century world masked as 1849 Baltimore, Maryland. Cusack, Evans, Eve and Gleeson prosper as their characters, able to touch their tangible surroundings. Every shot, whether in the confines of Detective Fields' sparse office or out in a misty, tree lined woods, seemed to carry the morose and claustrophobic weight of the man of who the film circles about. As we learn a little about Edgar Allan Poe the man, we also get a glimpse of his work - both by its words and its visceral bloody application. Actually hearing Cusack's Poe finish "The Raven" to a room full of aspiring female poets, the verses are haunting, melodic, and beautiful, leading me to wonder if I dust off "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque" for another read now that I am an adult.

Gripping your attention its razor sharp talons, The Raven is at times a fictionalized biography of the man and literary lesson of a sometimes under appreciated American writer. Poe was at the forefront of writing about detectives, grisly happenings and killings, and more. Fans of the Saw franchise need to realize that Poe wrote "The Pit and the Pendulum" over 160 years ago, ushering in a written genre that shocked a generation of readers. The accounts of the last days of his career and livelihood are shrouded in myth and urban legend, but The Raven offers a tell tale that is as Poe-esque as could be.

The Raven is best suited to lovers of suspenseful period films like Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, From Hell, and V for Vendetta. Although not as grandiose, The Raven is a smart, clever, and bloody lesson of Victorian literary lore (and gore) - quote the raven nevermore!

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WORTH: Matinee and DVD

Safe House

Safety in Numbers?

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Rated: R  Some language and strong violence throughout.
Release Date: February 10, 2012
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

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Director: Daniel Espinosa

Writers: David Guggenheim
Cast: Denzel Washington, Ryan Reynolds, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard, Robert Patrick

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SYNOPSIS: Young inexperienced CIA agent Matt in charge of a safe house in Cape Town suddenly plays host to ex-CIA fugitive Tobin Frost. When the safe house is breached in attempt to assassinated Frost, Matt finds himself on the run protecting the man he is supposed to keep under guard.

REVIEW: Easy Money (2010) director Daniel Espinosa and Exit Strategy writer David Guggenheim team up with A-listers Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds for a fast-paced cat-and-mouse, spy versus spy, keep-you-guessing, tale of survival. 

Cape Town, South Africa CIA safe house keeper Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds, Green Lantern) spends his shifts in a bored state, wondering when he will be reassigned to a real case officer position elsewhere on the globe. Even his CIA Langley contact David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1) can't guarantee Matt any change in his current post. Soon, though, the U.S. Consulate receives a visitor, Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington, Unstoppable) as he turns himself in. Transferred to Matt's safe house, the CIA sends an interrogation team to extract whatever information Frost has gained since turning traitor nine years ago. When a heavily armed team led by a man named Vargus (Fares Fares, Easy Money) breaches the safe house after Frost, Matt makes the decision to move off-site with Frost in an attempt to protect him as an intel asset for the Agency. In Langley, senior analyst Catherine Linklater (Vera Farmiga, Source Code) and Barlow square off against each other to bring Frost in, while deputy director Harlon Whitford (Sam Shepard, The Notebook) orders them to work together to flush out both Weston and Frost before either or both are killed in the field.

Part Man on Fire and The Bourne Identity, Safe House is a white knuckle ride that doesn't let up until the very end. The story begins slowly and innocently enough as we watch Matt mindlessly throws a ball against an empty safe house wall listening to language lessons on his headphones and wishing for more adventure in his CIA career. Across town Tobin Frost meets with an ex-MI6 spook with possible incendiary information on a microchip to be sold to the highest bidder. Once Frost arrives at the safe house a 'walk-in guest', Matt unwittingly gets his wish as all hell breaks loose with automatic weapons fire, flash bangs, double-taps, and a high body count. But while the safe house ends up being anything but safe, the streets and bergs in and around Cape Town are no more safe as Weston and Frost take part in brutal high-speed chases on the run from relentless armed thugs desperate to reacquire Frost. But while Vargus and his men are on the hunt for the mysterious microchip, we soon realize that something more shadowy and covert is afoot.

The action is fast-paced and relentless. But even when the story slows down, Reynolds' Weston and Washington's Frost pace each other like coiled cobras. Every move Frost makes or statement he utters is a calculation he uses to further his own ends. The young Weston, anxious to prove his worth to the Agency he has dedicated his adulthood to, learns quickly that he has to up his own physical and mental game to go toe-to-toe with Frost, as well as unravel the tightening noose created by their pursuers and, possibly, his own Agency. Can Weston be a superior agent to the dangerous Frost? Can he trust the Agency as he continues to try to bring Frost in? Will he start questioning the directives of the Agency as Frosty burrows deeper into his psyche? Guns, chases, fights, conspiracies, and unavoidable and more difficult obstacles - all have a place in Safe House. Simmering and boiling over, the entire film is a lesson in kinetic and forward momentum.

Somewhat safe in their Langley, Virginia bunkered command center, Catherine Linklater, Davis Barlow and Harlan Whitford also master their dance of half-truths, office politics, and real or imagined conspiracies against the Agency and each other. Is there a information leak in the bureaucracy of the business, or are the men pursuing Weston and Frost just that lucky each time they catch up to the pair?

Shot in a grainy, washed-out, contrasted style, Espinosa makes the most out of the Cape Town, South Africa locales. From the center of downtown and a crowded soccer stadium, to a dirt road and isolated villa in the shadow of picturesque mountain ranges, Safe Town is a rock solid story cast against a exotic diverse landscape. The mix of rigged and handheld camera styles finish off a feast for the eyes, jostling around the cityscape during downtown high-speed automotive escapes and settling in close and steady between Frost and Weston as they glare at each other in distaste, adrenaline and testosterone.

Safe House is a high-octane thrill ride, covering all of the bases of the typical actioner. Some parts of the story work on all cylinders, some other could have been done better. As a conspiracy, some points are obvious to the genre initiated. But all in all Safe House will entertain and please, resting on the talents and on-screen presence of Washington and Reynolds, as well as as some great ass-kicking!

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WORTH: Primetime and DVD

Green Zone

Search For The Truth[Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Brendan Gleeson]
This weekend, I dove right into the movies. There are a couple of flicks to see and I did not want to waste a moment.

SYNOPSIS: Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller and his team are charged with finding weapons of mass destruction in and around 1993 Baghdad at the start of the Iraqi War. As his searches come up empty, he becomes fed up with faulty intelligence and becomes embroiled in uncovering the source of the bad intel. On the way, he uncovers much more.

Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon team up again to bring us the opening days of the Iraqi War, the search for WMDs and the division of government as to how to run an effective war. Based on the book "Imperial Life in the Emerald City: Inside Iraq's Green Zone", the film gives us the insider's view of the start of the war, without the glamour and spin of the press.

Although not Stallone or Willis, Damon has become the most reliable dramatic action star. Partnering with "Bourne" director Paul Greengrass on this project, Matt delivers another solid performance. He brings a naivety and power to the role that endears you to his character and the story. As Roy Miller, he conveys what the American public feels about the war. 

Paul Greengrass brings his kinetic camera work and style to the script and brings out all of the grainy and raw details. Ramping up what he did with "The Bourne Supremacy" and "The Bourne Ultimatum", Greengrass uses the same hand-held camera work and adds new elements strategically, low-light and night-vision. It gives even more authenticity to the film. 

Greg Kinnear comes out of his do-gooder roles and provides a perpetual scowl as the bureaucratic Clark Poundstone, trying to run both an effective war and an effective media campaign for the support by the American people. Of course, every bureaucrat needs another government foil to run interference. In this case it is Brendan Gleeson as CIA Middle East operative Martin Brown whose 30 years of experience in the region is ignored as irrelevant and dated. And as an added bonus, we get a chance to see Jason Isaacs of "Harry Potter" and "Black Hawk Down" fame with his impeccable American accent as Poundstone's go to Ranger hunting down Miller before he exposes the truths meant to be left buried.

The story is fast paced and enveloping, keeping you captivated as to how the lone Chief Roy Miller can unravel why there are no Weapons of Mass Destructions to be found, who the source Magellan is and why the information is faulty, and why all of the government agencies and the press are after Magellan, but for different reasons. If you are a fan of "The Kingdom" and "Black Hawk Down", this film is a nice addition to your list.

Worth: Matinee or DVD