I Love You, Man ***

Cast: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Jaime Pressly, Jon Favreau, Jane Curtin, J.K. Simmons, Andy Samberg
Director: John Hamburg
Running Length: 1:45
MPAA Classification: R

Peter’s (Rudd) best friends are all women. He has no realy guy friends. So, upon his engagement to Zooey (Jones), the question arises of who will be his best man. His only real choices are his father (Simmons) and his brother (Samberg), who aren’t really the best of choices. Peter embarks on a number of man-dates in an attempt to meet a new best friend. They go wrong in many ways, and when Peter is ready to give up, he meets Sydney (Segel). They bond in Sydney’s “man cave”, jamming to songs by Rush and just hanging out. The friendship is going so well that soon Zooey is feeling left out.

I’ve been a fan of Paul Rudd for a while now, and it is good to see him headlining a film. He and Segel have good chemistry in what is essentially a romantic comedy between two straight men. Despite its share of raunchiness, there is some unexpected sweetness too. “I Love You, Man” is an enjoyable film, and I recommend it.

Race To Witch Mountain **

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Everett Scott, Chris Marquette, Billy Brown
Director: Andy Fickman
Running Length: 1:38
MPAA Classification: PG

Sara (Robb) and Seth (Ludwig) are alien children who have crashed to Earth. They enlist the help of Jack Bruno (Johnson), a cab driver. The kids have special talents: Sara can read minds and levitate items, Seth can shift matter. The government, led by Henry Burke (Hinds) is aware of their crash and is after them. Jack can only do so much for them, and soon he enlists the help of astrophysicist Alex Friedmen (Gugino). Soon, they are racing to their spaceship, hidden in Witch Mountain. Nut, getting out alive won’t be as easy as they think, especially with another alien hunting them down.

“Race to Witch Mountain” is a bit of a disappointment. Duane Johnson brings his trademark charm to the role of Jack, but that isn’t enough to save this film. The problem lies mainly in the script, which calls for the characters to do stupid things. Also, the childrens’ powers expand and contract when necessary to add drama. Given what these kids can do, they should have minimal difficulty finding their ship and getting off the Earth. Younger kids will probably enjoy the film, but adults may find it frustrating.

Watchmen **1/2

Cast: Billy Crudup, Patrick Wilson, Malin Akerman, Jackie Earle Haley, Matthew Goode, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Carla Gugino, Matt Frewer, Robert Wisden
Director: Zack Snyder
Running Length: 2:43
MPAA Classification: R

In an alternate 1986, the US and Soviet Union are sliding towards war. The Comedian (Morgan), a member of a disbanded group of superheroes called the Watchmen, is brutally murdered; setting events in motion that will change the world. Rorschach (Haley), another member of the Watchmen, who happens to be a little unstable, sets out to find the killer. He seeks the assistance of the rest of the team, Dr. Manhattan (Crudup), Silk Spectre (Ackerman), Ozymandias (Goode), and Night Owl (Wilson), to find the killer and is met with mixed reactions. Still, he pushes onward, discovering a plan beyond his imagination .

“Watchmen” is based on the vastly popular graphic novel by Dave Gibbons and an uncredited Alan Moore. I have not read the source material, but have heard that the movie is very faithful to the comic with the exception of the ending. The story is dense and complex and is not always easy to follow. I don’t think that is intentional, and that works against the film. For the most part, the characters do not stand out. The exception is Rorschach, amazingly played by Jackie Earle Haley. He chews the scenery and simply steals every single scene he is in. I would have loved to see more of him, but this is an ensemble film, so he is only one of many. The film looks great. Director Zack Snyder has a clear grasp of how to make a good looking movie. In the end, fans of the book will be mostly pleased I think, but those unfamiliar with the work might be a bit put off. This isn’t a film for everyone, and I can only give it a marginally positive review.

The Tale of Despereaux ***

Cast (voices): Matthew Broderick, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Waston, Tracey Ullman, Kevin Kline, William H. Macy, Stanley Tucci, Frank Langella, Sigourney Weaver
Directors: Sam Fell, Robert Stevenhagen
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: G

Despereaux (Broderick) is a mouse who is banished from Mouseworld for not acting like a mouse. He doesn’t cower, he doesn’t intentionally trip mousetraps, and he speaks to humans. In the human’s world, he meets Princess Pea (Watson), and decides to go on a quest for her to restore sunlight to a dark and grey kingdom. He is assisted by the rat Roscuro (Hoffman), who had caused the problem in the first place. Meanwhile, Miggory Snow (Ullman), the princess’s servant, is plotting to remove the princess and take her place.

“Despereaux” has a more complex story than one might expect from G-rated fare, but it is not too much to alienate younger viewers. The storylines intersect well, and all come together in the end. The animation is good, but not Pixar quality. That is a small complaint, and Pixar is in a league of their own anyway. The voice talent is made up of many big names, and Broderick, Hoffman, and Watson are all excellent. This is an entertaining family film that can be enjoyed by all.

Fired Up! *1/2

Cast: Nicholas D'Agosto, Eric Christian Olsen, Sarah Roemer, Molly Sims, David Walton, Philip Baker Hall, John Michael Higgins
Director: Will Gluck
Running Length: 1:30
MPAA Classification: PG-13

Shawn (D’Agosto) and Nick (Olsen) are stars of the high school football team. They also have a way with the ladies. They decide to skip football camp to attend cheerleading camp. They figure that there will be very few guys besides them and they can work their way through the girls. Carly (Roemer), the captain of the squad knows that they are up to no good, but can do nothing to stop them. One thing she doesn’t plan on is Shawn falling for her.

“Fired up!” is not a particularly good movie. Most of the funniest parts are shown in the previews. Some of the acting is pretty painful to watch. The leads, playing high schoolers, are even pretty far from their high school days. This movie would actually have benefited from an R rating, but to attract a bigger audience, it is tamed down to a PG-13. I cannot recommend this one.

The Reader ***

Cast: Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, David Kross, Bruno Ganz, Lena Olin
Director: Stephen Daldry
Running Length: 2:03
MPAA Classification: R

Michael Berg (Kross) meets Hanna Schmitz (Winslet) in 1958. She finds him near her apartment, coming down with Scarlet Fever. She takes him home to recover, and when he does, he seeks her out to thank her. They begin an affair, combining sex and him reading to her. When she vanishes, Michael does not see her again until 1966, when she goes on trial for being a Nazi and killing 300 Jews at Auschwicz.

“The Reader” is an interesting film that could have been more effective if it was told a bit differently. The non-linear aspect makes the film come across as choppy, and detracts from the overall effect. Winslet and Kross are solid as the leads, bringing believability to both their characters. Winslet is especially excellent, portraying Hanna as both good and evil as the story progresses. Perhaps evil is not the right word though, as her motivations are a bit different than one might expect. This does not make her more likeable, but it does give a glimpse into how many Germans dealt with the everything that happened during World War II. This is an interesting film, but not for everyone.