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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A Haunted House

COMEDY

Anything But Paranormal

★ ★ ★ out of 5 | Movie - DVD - Rental

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Rated: R Crude and sexual content, language and some drug use.
Release Date: January 11, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 26 minutes

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Director: Michael Tiddes
Writers: Marlon Wayans, Rick Alvarez
Cast: Marlon Wayans, Essence Atkins, Marlene Forte, Dave Sheridan, Nick Swardson, Cedric the Entertainer, J.B. Smoove, Dave Koechner, Affion Crockett

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SYNOPSIS: Malcolm and Kisha move into their dream home, but soon learn a demon also resides there. When Kisha becomes possessed, Malcolm - determined to keep his sex life on track - turns to a priest, a psychic, and a team of ghost-busters for help.

REVIEW: Crawl Space short film director director Michael Tiddes takes on the found footage spoof comedy game with a script written by Scary Movie (the original and three of its sequels) scribe and actor Marlon Wayans and relatively new screenwriter Rick Alvarez. With Scary Movie 5 coming out soon and Marlon Wayan's jump to a possible new horror spoof franchise, will A Haunted House have what it takes to give us all the silliness we expect?

Malcolm (Marlon Wayans, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra) buys a camera in anticipation of his girlfriend Kisha (Essence Atkins, Dance Flick) moving in with him. As soon as the last moving box is dropped on the floor in the living room, strange and unexplained events start happening in the house. Housekeeper Rosa (Marlene Forte, Star Trek) and Kisha do not hit it off at all, Kisha blaming her for mysteriously dropped keys. But with Malcolm's camcorder and a security system installed by Dan the Security Man (David Koechner, Hit and Run) and his half-wit brother Bob (Dave Sheridan, Horrible Bosses), the evidence of a supernatural entity is irrefutable. Malcolm and Kisha bring in professional help, ranging from a recommended Chip the Psychic (Nick Swardson, That's My Boy), to catholic convict Father Williams (Cedric the Entertainer, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted), to Dan and Bob doubling as ghost hunters.

A Haunted House is steep in the tradition of the all-time greatest horror spoofs. Not really - are any spoof movies all that great? - but Wayans and Alvarez take enough elements from the Paranormal Activity movies, The Last Exorcism, and The Devil Inside to create a fairly decent spoof effort. We all knew that it was only a matter of time before someone was going to take the post-The Blair Witch Project found footage horror genre on a comedic joy-ride. My friends and I were making up Paranormal Activity jokes after the first film premiered, joking that the unseen demon flushed the toilet and a stream toilet paper scooted unaided across the hallway floor. Luckily, Wayans and company managed to get their version to market before the other found footage spoof Scary Movie 5.

Wayans and Alvarez write up some pretty funny material for A Haunted House, mostly geared toward sexual and off-color situations. An intimate moment between Wayans' Malcolm and a stuffed teddy bear, and a first night case of bedroom gas, results in tears of laughter. The writing team takes advantage of the 'found footage' concept and the clever ways that the Paranormal Activity franchise ramped up the ways to tell the story, using the ole oscillating fan trick to find out what the housekeeper Rosa is up to while the home owners are out of the house. The story is complete with psychics, strange neighbors, and a preacher ready to perform a half-ass exorcism against an agile possessed girl. A Haunted House does bring more to the table as well, using Wayans' sensibilities and comedic edge to the film.

What does this film have that the Paranormal Activity franchise didn't? Thugs and abusive parents! Malcolm's friend Ray-Ray (Affion Crockett, This Means War), his crew, and their pistols don't seem to be a match for whatever is possessing Malcolm and Kisha's house. When Malcolm starts riffling through a box of old VHS tapes from Kisha's childhood, he discovers just how dysfunctional and attractive to a demon Kisha really is - Kisha's step dad (J.B Smoove, Date Night) and mom (Robin Thede, Clunkers) immortalizing why they will never be parents of the year! Swardson's Chip the Psychic and Cedric the Entertainer's Father Doug provide the rest of the laughs.

Coming in at a brisk 83 minutes, A Haunted House still has a few slow sequences. As with any spoof movie, there a just as many comedic misses as there are hits. Wayans knows his spoof-craft, experienced in the genre, but not every moment is comedy gold. But there are plenty of chuckles throughout, enough to cover the price of admission. It ain't the best story, but it is funny.

A Haunted House is funny. It is funny in the way that most spoof movies are. Wayans brings plenty of experience in his writing and acting - and it shows. If you are a fan of Wayans and a fan of the genre, give in to the activity! After Lincoln and Silver Linings Playbook, of course!

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The Sitter

No Adventure In Babysitting

Director: David Gordon Green

Writers: Brian Gatewood, Alessandro Tanaka
Cast: Jonah Hill, Sam Rockwell, Max Records, Landry Bender, Kevin Hernandez, Ari Graynor, J.B. Smoove, Kylie Bunbury

SYNOPSIS: Suspended college student Noah Griffith decides to get off his butt to babysit three kids in order to help his divorced mother go out for a nice evening. Little does he know that a request from his girlfriend will lead him and the kids on a wild ride.

REVIEW: David Gordon Green, director of Pineapple Express and Your Highness, sets his sights on a movie about mishaps in childcare. From a script by relative newcomers Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, director David Gordon Green looks to make the next great babysitting flick to rival Elizabeth Shue's 1987 Adventures in Babysitting and Christina Applegate's 1991 Don't Tell Mom The Babysitter's Dead.

Noah Griffith (Jonah Hill, Get Him to the Greek) finds himself college school-less and living with his mother without a job or any motivation to make something of his young life. When his divorced mother's opportunity to meet a new beau at a dinner party is threatened because the Pedulla family needs a babysitter, Noah begrudgedly relented to babysitting their three children, phobic Slater (max Records, Where the Wild Things Are), celebritant wannabe Blithe (Landry Bender), and recently adopted Venezuelan explosives lover Rodrigo (Kevin Hernandez). During a early evening of boundary crossing and authority bucking by the kids, Noah gets a call from his not-so-girlfriend Marisa for the promise of sex if he picks up and pays for some nose candy for her at a party she is attending. Weighing the options, Noah packs up the Pedulla minivan with the kids and begins a journey that starts with exploding toilets and ends with carjacking, car chases, gun fights, and revelations.

Filled with crude language and lots of sexual references, The Sitter is certainly not geared to kids, no matter how many unaccompanied minors are strapped into the back seats of the family soccer mobile. Jonah Hill manages to be both crude and cuddly, childishly naive while painfully insightful. The kids, each with their own too-grown-up problems, funnel their frustrations at the novice Noah with barbed bravado. Noah's girlfriend Marisa (Ari Graynor, What's Your Number?) is to die for at the start of the film, but ends up someone you want to kill by the end. The highlights of the film? Drug kingpin due Karl with a K (Sam Rockwell, Cowboys & Aliens) and Julio (J.B. Smoove, Date Night), and Soul Baby (Reggie Alvin Green, Coney Island Baby). Rockwell is disarming, maniacal, and in desperate need of friends more than eight. Smoove, as Rockwell's wingman and business partner, enables Karl at every turn, probably fearful of any stray retribution. And Green's Soul Baby, lends a little swagger and jazz cool as the doorman of a downtown New York pool hall.

At some times funny and silly, at other times foul and crude, The Sitter is a film that you would expect Jonah Hill to star in - in 2007. With recent films under his belt like Moneyball  and Get Him to the Greek,   I expect more from Hill but see why he would return to the type of films that he started off with. The pace of the story is fine, but the situations that Noah and his charges find themselves in become increasingly far fetched and coincidental. Even the supposed love interest Roxanne (Kylie Bunbury, Prom) gets minimal screen and scene time with Noah. Maybe that's for the best since Noah has his hands full with all of the other problems on his plate.

The Sitter is not the 80s-styled formula flick that we remember with the late decade Adventures in Babysitting, although some of the soundtrack is reminiscent. The heady days of good natured ill-advised childcare hi-jinks is so last century. Today, The Sitter, with all of its foul-mouth angst seems to be the standard for this century. Oh, to be young again.

WORTH: Rental