We can blame Stephen Frears for the travesty that is “Gulliver’s Travels.” Frears didn’t director or work on this big budget 3D adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s satiric novel. In fact he might not have been within a hundred miles of the set, but ten years ago he cast Jack Black in “High Fidelity,” a movie that showcased the actor’s unhinged brand of humor and made him a star. Black had kicked around Hollywood previously, taking small roles in movies like “The Jackal” and “Enemy of the State,” but Frears gave voice to Black’s now trademarked manic enfant terrible act. Since then there’s been good moments—“School of Rock,” “Kung Fu Panda”—some bad moments—“Envy” and “Year One” and now a downright ugly film—“Gulliver’s Travels.”
Black plays Lemuel Gulliver, a ten year mail room veteran at a big publishing company with only one ambition—to date Darcy (Amanda Peet) a pretty magazine travel editor. When he finally works up the courage to ask her out a misunderstanding leads to him being offered a travel writing assignment instead. Sent to the Bermuda Triangle, he gets sucked into a vortex and lands in Lilliput, a miniature kingdom under constant attack by a neighbouring nation. When Gulliver helps defend the diminutive country he becomes a hero to all except the scheming General Edward (Chris O’Dowd) who will stop at nothing to cut the giant down to size.
At one point during the action Jack Black cracks a joke and follows the punch line with, “Does that translate? Is that a joke here?” a question he probably should have asked after initially reading the script. The satiric tone of the novel has been surgically removed, replaced with “Star Wars” references, a lame musical number and Black’s incessant mugging. I get that this has been reinvented with a young audience in mind, but dumbing down a classic novel like this just seems wrong. It’s like watching “King Lear” interpreted by The Three Stooges with Larry, Curly and Moe as Goneril, Regan and Cordelia. It just doesn’t fit. Perhaps a title change might have been in order. May I suggest “Gulliver’s Twaddle”?
The problem doesn’t lie completely with the script. It’s terrible to be sure, but its Black’s antics that really sink the movie. He dominates the movie, and not just because he is twenty times the size of his co-stars. Perhaps it’s just that a little bit of his hyperactive slacker routine goes a long way or perhaps that we’re weary of his overgrown kid shtick. What once seemed so fresh now seems tired and worse, not funny.
“Gulliver’s Travels” suffers from some dodgy special effects, a dreary script and an over abundance of Black, and for that I blame Stephen Frears.
Shivers go up and down my spine when holiday movies use words like “heartwarming” in their ads. I’ve seen enough of them to know what that really means. Usually “heartwarming” actually translates to saccharine. Now combine heartwarming AKA saccharine, with a romantic comedy set during the holidays; Add in one dancing for joy scene, usually in a kitchen or just after receiving some good news on the phone, and you have The Holiday, the latest romantic comedy from evil genius Nancy Meyers.
The Holiday combines all manner of romantic comedy stereotypes. There is the fish-out-of-water routine as English Rose Kate Winslett and California cutie Cameron Diaz decide to trade homes (and countries) for the holidays to help themselves heal from failed relationships. There’s the above-mentioned dancing, the odd pairings—could it ever really work out between Winslett and Jack Black?—the predictable pairings—why wouldn’t it work out between Diaz and Jude Law?—and lots of beautiful homes, great scenery and even some cute kids.
Why then did this movie bug me so much? I think it probably has something to do with its inherent misogyny. At the heart of The Holiday, lurking just under the glitzy surface is the idea that a woman isn’t complete unless she has a man in her life. Both female leads are successful women with careers and lives and yet both only really feel complete in the company of men.
The Holiday is formulaic, too long by half an hour and if all holidays were like this I would never leave my house again.
“Kung Fu Panda 2’s” all star mix of action, slapstick and furry fists of fury makes for a mighty kid friendly martial arts movie.
The story begins with a fable about Shen (Gary Oldman), a peacock hungry for revenge after being kicked out of his kingdom by his parents. Unless he and his fire breathing weapon are stopped it could mean the end of Kung Fu, but how can Kung Fu stop a weapon that can stop Kung Fu? That is the question Po (Jack Black) and the rest of the Furious Five (Angelina Jolie as Tigress, Jackie Chan as Monkey, Lucy Liu as Viper, Seth Rogen as Mantis and David Cross as Crane) must ponder as they try and save China and their sacred martial art.
“Kung Fu Panda 2” doesn’t exactly improve on the original, a surprise hit from 2008, but it maintains status quo. The new film is a little sketchier with the story—there is a subplot about Po’s real parents that only appears to have been included to add some heart to the mostly action storyline and to set up a threequel—which seems to take a backseat to the frenetic, but kid friendly, action scenes, but it’s buoyed by some high kicking animation and good voice work from the leads, particularly Jack Black and Oldman, as Shen, the silky voiced villain.
The 3D doesn’t get in the way of the beautiful animation, and actually adds a layer of excitement to the action scenes. The animation, both in the present day scenes and Po’s vibrant anime inspired sequences, is a cut above any other non-Pixar work out there.
The film, like all good martial arts films is heavy on the action scenes, but the best stuff isn’t the big set pieces but the smaller set pieces. When Po, disguised as a parade dragon eats a baddie and then digests him and… excretes him out the back end of the costume it’s imaginative and kid-tastic fun. The wilder scenes are nicely put together but the smaller intimate scenes have more punch.
“Kung Fu Panda 2” is just one of 27 sequels hitting theatres this year, but so far it’s one of the better ones.
The funniest movie animal is, of course, the chimp, followed by the talking dog and then the dancing pig. With the release of the new Jack Black animated film you can add to that list the Kung Fu Panda.
In this lush computer animated film Black portrays Po, an overweight kung fu crazy panda who dreams of becoming a master warrior. In his rich fantasy life his enemies would go blind from his “sheer awesomeness.” In reality he is the son of a noodle maker with no moves, no skill.
When he is accidentally crowned Dragon Warrior, a once-in-a-thousand-years-honor, he must look inside himself to conjure the skills to live up to the title and beat the evil Tai Lung (Ian McShane).
Training with the Furious Five warriors and Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) he learns to leave his insecurities behind. “I’m not a fat Panda,” he says, “I’m the fat Panda.”
His self confidence may be at an all time high, but will it be enough to defeat Tai Lung and bring peace to his valley?
Directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson use a mixed bag of techniques to tell the story. State of the art computer animation brings the characters to life, but the gorgeous hand drawn animation in the fantasy sequences is uncommonly sumptuous for a story like this and gives the movie real character. Imagine if Akira Kurosawa had directed a kid’s movie and you’ll get the idea.
Also strong is the voice work, particularly from old pros Hoffman and McShane, two nicely cast voices you don’t expect to hear in a movie aimed at kids.
Beautifully animated and cleverly written Kung Fun Panda should easily fill the space left on the Dreamworks slate until the next Shrek hits the screens. Packed with wit and action it is the rare kind of animated feature that should appeal to all members of the family, although it might not be quite silly enough for the nine and under crowd, but that’s a good thing for parents who will likely have to sit through this one many times over.
The decision to go see Margot at the Wedding shouldn’t be based on the caliber of the performances, the direction or the script, they’re all first rate. No, the decision to see this movie must be based on one factor: Do you want to spend 90 minutes of your life with some of the most disagreeable, despicable characters ever created for the screen? This crowd makes the people in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Wolfe look like Theodore Tugboat.
The second film from Squid and the Whale director Noah Baumbach is a study in neurosis. Pauline (Baumbach’s wife, Jennifer Jason Leigh) is estranged from her sister Margot (Nicole Kidman), a successful New York based author. The pair put their differences aside when Margot and son come to celebrate Pauline’s wedding at her remote country house. Margot, an outspoken raw nerve of a woman takes an instant dislike to Pauline’s intended, an out of work artist played by Jack Black. For the next ninety-minutes or so Margot plays mind games with the fiancée, her husband, her lover, her sister, the hillbilly neighbors and even her own son.
Baumbach, who seems to specialize in “families in crisis” films, has created an emotionally brutal movie brimming with keen observations on insecurity, neurosis and the deep vein of dysfunction that runs throughout this family. While occasionally cringe-inducing and painful to watch, it is never less than compelling. Watching these fine actors—even Jack Black shines here—explore the darker side of life is fascinating. Even the cinematography reflects the character’s state of mind—it’s gritty, unfocused and dark. Of the performances Kidman is particularly strong, unapologetically delving deep into the ugly side of Margot’s personality.
To break the tension Baumbach peppers the story with unexpected laughs as he cranks up the dysfunctional heat. The result is a startlingly original film that may not be for everyone, but will delight therapists and those with strong enough stomachs everywhere.
Some of the most popular Mexican films from the early 1950s through to the late 1970s featured flamboyant athletes in colorful costumes who fought evil, whether it was a crime boss or something more sinister like vampires and mad scientists. Even though they wore masks they weren’t superheroes like Batman or Superman. No, they were wrestlers who felled their opponents with flying drop kicks and moves like the Guillotina, a kind of fighting known in Mexico as “lucha libre.” These films made superstars of characters like Santo, “the Man in the Silver Mask,” but since the late 70s they have faded from view.
The new Jack Black film, Nacho Libre attempts to bring back the glory days of the luchador but Santo may not want to take his mask off mothballs just yet. Nacho Libre from the creators of Napoleon Dynamite and the writer of The School of Rock stretches its one joke as thin as a tortilla shell.
Jack Black stars as Ignacio (friends call him Nacho), a cook by day in a Mexican orphanage, who moonlights as a lucha libre wrestler to raise money for the orphans. Black will stop at nothing to make us laugh, but having no shame isn’t the same as being truly hilarious. His deadpan performance has its moments, but all too often we are expected to simply find the sight of his shirtless jiggling round torso funny. When we do laugh, we’re laughing at him, not with him.
Nacho Libre is a comedy that confuses silly with funny. It’s a skit that runs ninety minutes. The best thing I can say is that Jack Black is funnier here than he was in King Kong… but just barely.
Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny is a heavy metal odyssey about two stoner heavy metal musicians (Jack Black and Kyle Gass) who must retrieve the magical Pick of Destiny—made from a chip of Satan’s tooth—so they can write the ultimate metal song, win the top prize at an open mike night and make enough money to pay their rent. In other words its like Cheech and Chong with power chords, or the Two Stooges with guitars.
Black and Gass have been performing in comedy clubs for years as Tenacious D—the self proclaimed “greatest band on Earth”— a sort of live-action Beavis and Butthead who play a brand of sword and sorcery style heavy metal that pays homage to the music while taking the mickey out of it.
Most of the humor here originated from south of the bellybutton, but Black’s frenetic performance and soaring rock vocals coupled with Gass’ goofy charm keep things rocking along.
Not for everyone, but if you enjoyed Spinal Tap you’ll like Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny.
Lately we’ve seen lots of origin movies. Hugh Jackman starred in a blockbuster about the beginnings of his most famous character, Wolverine and Iron Man gave us the skinny on how Robert Downey Jr became a superhero. Now Jack Black and Michael Cera star in the mother of all origin movies. Year One is a Biblical satire that picks up where movies like The Life of Brian left off, bringing a modern sensibility to a story about the foundation of our civilization.
Black and Cera play Zed and Oh, hunter-gatherers banished from their village in biblical times. Cut off from all they know the pair meander through Old Testament era Mesopotamia, get sold into slavery, narrowly avoid the first circumcision and bump into everyone from Cain and Abel (David Cross and Paul Rudd) to Abraham (Hank Azaria). Eventually they try and rescue their old village-mates in the city where “the sinners are winners,” the doomed Sodom.
Much of the humor in Year One comes from Black and Cera dressing like hunter gatherers but speaking like a modern day odd couple. For example, when village leader Marlak (Matthew Willig) knocks a bowl of strawberries from Oh’s hand, Cera replies, “Well there won’t be any berries in the fruit salad now, so we all lose.” The anachronistic language is funny and the talented cast pulls it off, but I’m afraid there isn’t much more here than that.
Black and Cera bring their well defined comic personas—Black is the overconfident dumb guy, Cera the nerdy outsider—and both seem to have fun with their roles, but the ratio of laughs per minute isn’t as high as some other recent movies, most notably The Hangover. It’s a feel good movie, but not exactly a laugh-a-rama.
Part of the problem is the script. The thinly written story—it feels more like a series of skits than a whole—relies on the two leads to squeeze every last bit of charm from a script heavy with poo jokes, sex humor and all other forms of juvenilia, and for the most part they do, but Black’s mugging and Cera’s patented passiveness grow old by the time the credits roll.
Fortunately an all star list of cameos brightens things up a bit. Hank Azaria as Abraham brings the funny and Black’s Tenacious D sidekick Kyle Gass raises a smile as Zaftig the Eunuch. Both these supporting characters seem ripped out of another movie, a funnier movie. I left wondering what someone like Mel Brooks could have done with this material. I mean is there a more perfect Brooks character name than Zaftig the Eunuch?
Year One’s immature yuks should amuse fans of Jack Black and Michael Cera and it will offend some but leave most with only a faint smile.
In this weekend’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Johnny Blaze, played by Nicolas Cage, joins a long line of movie characters in the ultimate fight — battling Satan! Everyone from Jack Black to Viggo Mortensen to Santa Claus has been hell bent on battling Old Scratch on the big screen.
In Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny, Jack Black and Kyle Glass play heavy metal musicians who must play a musical battle with Lucifer.
“The demon code prevents me from declining the rock off challenge,” says Old Scratch before they engage in a metal showdown.
If they win, they’ll be superstars and the keepers of the magic pick made of Satan’s tooth. Lose and Kyle gets a new roommate — the prince of darkness.
The Devil in Prince of Darkness takes a slightly different form than Pick of Destiny’s traditional ruby-skinned imp.
In this John Carpenter chiller the Devil is an alien life form trapped in an alternate world.
Meanwhile, his son lives on our planet, boiled down into a vat of sinister-looking green liquid.
E-critic.com hated the movie, suggesting the advertising tagline for the movie should be: It’s NEW and IMPROVED LIQUID SATAN!!!, but it has some good thrills, a moody synthesize score, a cameo by Alice Cooper and a great performance by Donald Pleasance as a priest who does battle with the Devil.
One critic called The Prophecy “Paradise Lost reimagined as a droll B horror picture.”
Christopher Walken plays an angel trying to wage war against God. You might imagine that would put him in league with the Devil, but you’d be wrong.
“Your war is arrogance,” says Mephistopheles, who looks a lot like Viggo Mortensen, “That makes it evil. That’s mine.”
The movie spawned four sequels, but the original remains the best, if only to watch Mortensen deliver lines like, “While heaven may be closed I am always open, even on Christmas.”
And speaking of Christmas, one of the strangest cinematic demonic battles happens in the Mexican fantasy film Santa Claus. Described as “Ho Ho Horrible!” by one critic, it’s cut-rate and cheesy but has a certain kitschy charm.
Sometimes referred to as Santa Claus Conquers the Devil, this weird movie sees St Nick shoot the Devil with toy arrows.
Though marketed to kids, the Mystery Science Theater 3000 folks summed it up best when they said the movie is “good old-fashioned nightmare fuel.”
