The Muppets (U)
Review
It’s 13 years since the last Muppets movie, the frankly quite terrible Muppets From Space, but since then there’s been the occasional TV special, the last being 2008’s A Muppet Christmas, to keep awareness going. And now it’s time for a whole new generation to discover the charms of Kermit, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and the rest of the gang while fans young and old will be delighted to welcome them back to the big screen in top form.
Having split up some time ago, depressed Kermit now lives in Hollywood, Gonzo’s become a plumber, Fozzie plays with a tribute band, Animal’s in celebrity anger management rehab and Miss Piggy’s the fashion editor for larger women at Vogue Paris. But when Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, brother Gary (Jason Segel) and Gary’s girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) tell them Tex Richman wants to pull down the old Muppet Theatre to drill for oil, they get back together for a telethon to try and raise the money to save it. With celebrity cameos that include Selena Gomez and Zach Galifianakis, Muppets versions of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Forget You, it’s Mah Na Mah Na time all over again.
Alvin and the Chipmunks - Chip-Wrecked (U)
Review
Packed with plenty of ‘Munk style comedy and music, Alvin, Simon, Theodore and the three Chipettes are back for another fun adventure. Holidaying aboard a luxury cruise ship, they’re causing all sort of headaches for father figure Dave by turning the ship into their own personal playground. Until they accidentally find themselves swept overboard and marooned on a desert island. Naturally, while Dave panics and sets off to rescue them, they reckon it’s all great fun, especially when they discover there’s another castaway on the island.
Jack and Jill (PG)
Adam Sandler comedies rarely get good reviews, yet he still somehow seems to be incredibly popular with kids from the age of 10 upwards. In which case, they’ll probably love this to since there’s two of him for the price of one. He plays both Jack Sadelstein, a happily married advertising executive with two great kids, and Jill, his crude, loud, dumb and needy identical twin sister.
Needless to say, Jack would prefer if his and Jill’s path’s never crossed. Unfortunately, he’s reluctantly persuaded to let her visit the family for Thanksgiving. Which, naturally turns out to be a disaster. What’s worse, though, is that she invites herself to stay on.
But, when Jack tries to sign up movie star Al Pacino for a commercial, and Al falls for Jill, then there’s even more complications to deal with.
Not that the kids will be too bothered about the plot, as long as Sandler acts rude and juvenile and there’s lot of shouting, slapstick and toilet humour. Guess he’s on to another, winner then.
The Woman in Black (12A)
Daniel Radcliffe’s first film since the Harry Potter saga ended is a remake of the 1989 period ghost story in which, sent to a remote village to settle the estate of a recently deceased friendless old woman, young lawyer Arthur finds himself seeing a mysterious female figure in black and discovers a ghost is taking a terrible revenge on the locals’ children.
Not for younger, easily scared children but those who handled The Deathly Hallows should have no problem and will enjoy an atmospheric chiller that has plenty of ‘boo!’ moments. And, there’s a Potter link too. Adrian Rawlins, who played Harry’s father, played the same character as Radcliffe in the original version.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (12A)
A year after his jeweller father Thomas (Tom Hanks) died in the World Trade Centre on 9/11, 10 year old Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) ventures into dad’s wardrobe for the first time since the tragedy and accidentally knocks a vase from the shelf. It breaks and out falls an envelope containing a key. With just the word ‘black’ written on the envelope, Oskar, who used to play ‘reconnaissance expedition’ games with dad (he was on a quest to find the mythical ‘lost’ Sixth Borough of New York when ‘the worst day’ happened), reckons that the key will unlock one final riddle and keep him close to his father longer in the process. And so, devising a complex mapping and filing system, he sets out to interview the 472 people in the New York phone book with the surname Black – all of whom seem to have their own stories to tell - in an attempt to solve it.
For part of this quest he’s aided by his grandmother’s mysterious unnamed German tenant (a magnificent Max Von Sydow), a man tormented by his own past loss and tragedies, who refuses to speak and communicates by writing notes and with the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’ written on separate hands.
Oskar’s no ordinary kid. While incredibly smart and articulate, he also suffers from mild autism or Aspergers and, even more so since 9/11, is hostage to his fears and anxieties. He finds it hard to talk to people, he can’t use subway trains or buses, is scared of crossing bridges and carried a tambourine with him everywhere to help keep him calm. But he’s determined nothing will stop him finding the lock that the key fits, "not even me."
He also hides a terrible secret about that day, one he’s confessed to no one, not even the mother (Sandra Bullock) from whom he’s become ever more disconnected, and the pain and guilt has led him to start self-harming.
With poignant flashbacks to Oskar’s times with his father and an incredible performance by first time actor Horn, it’s a cathartic film about grief, family, facing your fears, absolution and letting go that will touch the hearts of anyone who’s suffered the senseless loss of a loved one, parents and children alike.
Directed by Billy Elliot’s Stephen Daldry, it gets a little over sentimental in the final life-lessons stretch, especially when the truth behind the key, the old man and the warm responses Oskar receives during his search is revealed, but by this time, after sitting through the emotionally heartrending scene as he plays back his father’s last answerphone messages, you’ll be too busy choking back the tears to care.
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The Artist (PG)
One for slightly older (9+) children perhaps, but (save for one disturbing scene with a gun), this is a family friendly film with a difference. It tells the story of George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), a silent movie film star who finds his career on the slide with the arrival of the talkies while the dancer he discovered, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), becomes a Hollywood sensation. He dismisses talking pictures as a fad and is too proud to change his ways or accept Peppy’s help when things go bad for him.
The difference is that the film has been made like a silent movie of the 20s, in black and white, with no dialogue and just musical accompaniment (an early scene recreates how these films were screened to audiences with a live orchestra) and title cards. It’s not totally without dialogue (there’s a couple of lines at the end) and it makes minimal but clever use of sound effects, but otherwise, complete with changing tones of black and white, it looks exactly like the sort of film the George Valentins of their day would have made.
A tale of romance, pride and the evolution of cinema, it slows a little in the middle but it’s much more than a gimmick and, like Hugo, it’s a hugely entertaining way of introducing kids to the history of cinema but with a very modern film. And there’s a very cute and clever dog, too.
A Monster in Paris 3D (U)
Review
From the director of Shark Tale and The Road To Eldorado comes a new animated adventure for all the family. The year is 1910, the city is Paris and there’s a monster on the loose. Fooling around with a scientist’s potions, shy cinema projectionist Emile and his irresponsible delivery driver and part time inventor friend Raoul have accidentally created a seven foot creature that’s put the people of Paris in a panic.
But when cabaret singer Lucille gives it shelter and Emile and Raoul discover the creature, Francoeur, is really harmless with a fabulous singing voice, then the trio join forces with the scientist and his cheeky monkey to save the beast from a corrupt official determined to kill it to further his political ambitions.
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island 3D (PG)
Review
Although this is a sequel to Journey To The Centre of the Earth, Josh Hutcherson’s the only returning member of the original cast as Sean Anderson who’s convinced that the radio signal he’s discovered is the work of his missing, eccentric adventurer granddad (Michael Caine) and was sent from the fabled Mysterious Island of Jules Verne’s novel.
So, although he can’t stand him, he enlists the help of his new step-father (Dwayne Johnson), to decipher the code. And the next thing you know, they’re off in search of an island that doesn’t appear on any map, in the company of an unreliable pilot (Luis Guzman) and his daughter (Vanessa Hudgens).
After any number of death defying perils, they actually find the island and Grandpa. The only problem is, it’s a dark jungle out there full of terrifying creatures such as oversized bees, spiders and lizards, and likely to sink back into the sea within 48 hours when the volcano of gold erupts. Pitched firmly at youngsters, it’s a cheesy but fun, visual effects packed romp.
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace 3D (PG)
After 20th Anniversary Special Editions with improved CGI, animated spin-offs, the DVD release of the original trilogy and, most recently, a Blu-ray edition of all six films, George Lucas finds another way to milk the fans for his pension fund by reissuing the entire saga, in narrative order, converted into 3D.
While veterans will know it’s largely just a less exciting rehash of what was in Episodes IV-VI, for newcomers the plot entails Jedi master Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson), his pupil, young Ben Obi Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and adolescent walking fashion show Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) escaping from an invasion on the planet Naboo and winding up on Tattoine where they encounter Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd), a slave boy they’re convinced is the chosen one who will restore balance to the Force.
While Qui-Gon trains him, things head towards a showdown between Jedi, the escaped Naboo forces and their amphibious Gungan allies on the one hand and the Federation robots and Sith Lord Darth Maul (Ray Parks) on the other.
With his striking appearance, Maul dominates the screen every time he appears. Unfortunately, that’s not often enough whereas there’s decidedly too much of Jar Jar Binks, the irritating comic relief frog-man alien with a patois accent who tested the patience of even the staunchest fans.
When the film was first released, back in 1999. I wrote " if you're that awkward sort of cuss who likes a half decent screenplay and engaging characters with three dimensional personalities speaking dialogue that doesn't make you cringe, then you might reasonably come to the conclusion that George Lucas should not be left alone in a room with a typewriter."
There are, though, some awesome scenes, among them a battle between the droid army and the rebels, the three handed light sabre duel and the pod race which should make the most of the new technology. However, both Neeson and a desperately flat McGregor have absolutely no on screen charisma at all, and not all the 3D in the world is going to fix that.
From 24th February
Red Dog (PG)
AWith all the attention lavished on Uggie, the four-legged scene stealer in The Artist, it would be a pity if equally cute fellow canine thespian Koko went unnoticed. He’s the titular star of this heartwarming film, adapted from a short story by Louis de Bernières’, the author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and itself based on a 70s true story that’s become an Australian legend.
When truck driver Thomas (Luke Ford) pulls over for a rest stop in the small mining town of Dampier in Western Australia, he finds himself being regaled by the locals with anecdotes about the dust red kelpie (a dog breed native to Australia) lying in the back room, possibly dying from poisoning. He’s not just any dog, though. As publican Jack (Noah Taylor) explains, this is Red Dog. And through multiple flashbacks, Thomas gets to learn how the dog came to this remote outpost when it was still being built, how he was befriended by the rough, tough miners, found his soul mate master in mining company bus driver John (Josh Lucas) and, when one day John didn’t come home, waited and waited until finally setting off across Western Australia (and, so tall tales have it, Japan) to try and find him before finally returning home.
Like the similarly themed stories of Hachi and Greyfriar’s Bobby (like them, Red Dog too has a statue in his honour) much of this is true and the bits that aren’t you’d like to be. Various quirky characters take their turn to contribute to the narrative - Vanno the homesick Italian, Jocko the grieving widower, hardman Peeto with his secret love of knitting and Nancy (Rachael Taylor), Josh’s girlfriend.
Each has their own amusing or touching story about how Red Dog affected their lives, memories of his foul farts, and his running feud with Red Cat, the feral moggie owned by the caravan park’s obnoxious, dog-hating caretaker. We learn how Red Dog helped forge a real community out of a bunch of disparate inhabitants, how he helped some find love and helped others to live again. Finally, the human stories give way that of Red Dog himself.
Although spending time with Dampier’s eccentrics is entertaining, it’s a pity the film couldn’t have spent longer on the incredible journey that made Red Dog a legend rather than turning it into an extended montage of walking or hitching lifts in trucks, cars and trains. But, that’s a small flaw in this charming and at times heart-breaking tale of friendship, love, loss and loyalty which, despite some mild bad language and brief sexual references, should be enjoyed by families (I’d say for kids of 10 upwards) and dog lovers alike.
Back home, it won six awards, including Best Film, at the Australian Film Awards and has become No 7 in the top Australian films of all time. With a very limited release, it’s won’t be big box office here, but if it’s showing anywhere near you then do try and see it on the big screen while you can.
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