Movie Review: Underdog by JR

Title: Underdog

Starring: Jason Lee, Peter Dinklage, Jim Belushi, Patrick Warburton, Alex Neuberger

Directed by: Frederik Du Chau
Genre: Action/Adventure/Family/Comedy

Release Date: August 3, 2007

MPAA Rating: PG for crude humor, mild language and action

A beagle who just can’t seem to do anything right, is kidnapped and given superpowers by a mad scientist, Dr. Barsinister. He escapes and makes friends with a boy who helps him discover how to use his new powers for good.

After first seeing the previews earlier this year, I have been excited about Underdog. As a parent of two children ages 7 and 5, it’s hard to find movies that everyone in the family will enjoy. My kids were as equally excited to see it as I was. Usually it’s them wanting to drag me to a movie (Happily N’ever After), or it’s me wanting to drag them to a movie (Narnia).

The story line in Underdog was very simple: Mad scientist and his bumbling sidekick want to do bad things, and the superhero must save the day. The big “twist” on this is that the superhero is a dog. Not so big of a twist, right? Yeah, I know. But it’s still a really cute gimmick and it worked for me. Underdog, whose alter-ego’s name is Shoeshine, is a great character for kids. He has trouble succeeding in what he does because something always goes wrong, and he feels like he can’t do anything. He’s funny and very relatable, even if he is a talking dog. His owner, Jack, is having some problems of his own and has to overcome them to help Underdog succeed. It’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but coupled with the action and the comedy, it really works here. All of the kids in the theater were captivated.

The performances were fantastic as well. Dr. Barsinister is played by Peter Dinklage (you might know him from Nip/Tuck) and he’s a perfect kiddie villain. He’s just sinister enough, yet he does physical comedy very well. His bumbling sidekick is played masterfully by Patrick Warburton. Underdog’s owner Jack is played by newcomer Alex Neuberger. According to imdb.com, he’s only been in one other movie: Running Scared, which I hated. He’s a great little actor. I expect to see him in many other movies in the future.

Underdog is the latest in the old-cartoon-turned-into-a-movie, and I have to tell you, I never watched the old cartoon. I remember seeing pieces of it here and there in my childhood, but it wasn’t one that I would carve out a slice of that special Saturday morning time for. One of the things I do remember about the cartoon is Underdog speaking in rhyme a lot, and he does that in the new movie as well. Sounds like it would get old? Nah, it doesn’t. Not in the short run-time. It’s endearing actually, like a part of his new persona that isn’t developed yet. I hate to compare, but it’s kinda like in Spiderman, when Peter Parker is trying to figure out how to use his webbing and shouts out things like “Go web!”.

My only complaint about the movie is that it dragged a bit in the second half. My kids were thoroughly engaged in it, but I took a quick 10 minute nap. Overall though, the movie was entertaining, funny, full of action, and completely appropriate for the entire family. Which I love.

4 out of 5 stars

Jenny Rushing
Beccajane67@yahoo.com

Movie Revbiew: The Bourne Ultimatum by JW

Ed. note – We have a guest reviewer this time around, Jeremy Welsch of www.moviebuffs.com/ Hopefully he will stick around for a while. You guys can email him and beg him to stay at jndubbs@gmail.com.

Title: The Bourne Ultimatum
Starring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Albert Finney, Joan Allen
Director : Paul Greengrass
Producer: Patrick Crowley, Frank Marshall, Paul L. Sandberg, Doug Liman
Genre: Action
Release Date: August 3, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributors: Universal Pictures

Paul Greengrass directs the final chapter in the Bourne trilogy. Jason Bourne is still trying to find out the secrets of his identity while being hunted by the very people who trained him.

Every now and then I have this dream. In it, I am my current age and I wake up and find myself in the halls of my high school (of which I am 13 years removed). I continue to make my way through the hallways making my way towards my locker. Everyone around me is how I remember them in high school and they don't even notice that I am in my early thirties. The only thing running through my mind is an increasing feeling of anxiety as I get closer to my locker because I can't remember my combination. For some reason I think that if I can't figure it out or have to go to the principals office to get it, they'll figure out how old I am and that I am not supposed to be there. But every time I get to the locker, I get the combination right. It doesn't seem familiar to me as I am trying the lock, but I get it open first try - every time. Weird, but true. I have no clue what it means, if anything, but as I sat down to write this review that dream popped into my head and ended up being the best way to summarize how I felt watching the movie.

The movie picks up right where the last one left off. Literally. After the car crash in Moscow at the end of The Bourne Supremacy, we rejoin Bourne as he evades police then goes to Paris to tell Marie's brother that she is dead. During this time, he reads an article about himself in the Guardian Newspaper and heads to London to track down the writer, Rimon Ross, and find out who his source is. He meets up with Ross at Waterloo station and learns of 'Blackbriar', formerly Treadstone (the top-secret CIA program that basically 'created' Jason Bourne). During this meeting, Bourne gives a clinic on surveillance evasion by guiding Ross via cell phone through/around numerous cameras and CIA converging on the station. He finds out the source, gets away from an asset (Blackbriar assassin) sent to kill him and Ross, and he's off to Madrid to track down his source. And so on and so forth.

This movie is essentially two hours of Bourne running away from the CIA, which is trying to kill him, and towards what he hopes are answers about his identity. In the end, that is pretty much what the whole trilogy is about - Bourne trying to find out who he is and kicking everyone's ass that gets in his way. The action in this movie doesn't disappoint. There are two scenes in particular that stick out in my mind. There is a car chase scene is pretty intense. I haven't seen many that look this seamless or exciting, even if it was a bit long and overdone. I had the same complaint about the chase scenes in The Bourne Supremacy. How many shots do we need from inside the car where we see an incoming car smash into Bourne's vehicle and watch his head shake back and forth? Impressive the first few times I saw it, but overused. Like that friend of yours that still quotes Old School - it was funny the first hundred times we heard it, but, we get it, let's move on. The real tour de force of the movie was the sequence in Tangier where Bourne is tracking Desh, an asset sent to kill his source, then him and Nicky (a CIA agent and former Treadstone contact who offers to help Bourne). There is about a 10-15 minute stretch where there is virtually no dialogue; just straight action and a chase on foot. We see Bourne hopping from building to building tracking Desh before he has a chance to kill Nicky with intermittent cuts back and forth between Bourne, Nicky, and Desh. The climax of the sequence is the confrontation between Desh and Bourne that is hands down, the best fight sequence of the trilogy. The most impressive part is, like I said, there is no dialogue at all and the suspense is basically created out of thin air through the editing and camera work. It works on all levels and I wished there had been more direction like this in the movie. I would recommend the movie solely on the integrity of this sequence alone. Absolutely amazing filmmaking.

I liked Identity, and loved The Bourne Supremacy but The Bourne Ultimatum, sadly, sort of let me down. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is a bad movie, by any stretch of the imagination.

The Bourne Supremacy was so far and above Identity that I guess I was spoiled into thinking this would be an improvement to the same degree. Instead it felt more like The Bourne Supremacy, Part II. There is a scene in the movie that is directly taken from the end of The Bourne Supremacy (where Bourne is calling Landy and tells her to "Get some sleep. You look tired"). Wait, what? Didn't we already see that once? If it was an attempt to be clever by tying the two films together, it didn't work. Clever for the sake of clever is weak, tired writing. And if that last scene in The Bourne Supremacy was supposed to prelude to The Bourne Ultimatum, the jump into the middle of its sequel didn't make any sense to me. Again, clever for the sake of clever kind of feels like cheating. The ultimate answer to the question of the series, 'Who is Jason Bourne?' was, well, sufficient, if not a little awkward and a bit forced. I don't know what ending I would have accepted more, but the solution presented didn't work all that much for me, but it'll do.

I really wanted to like this movie more - I really did. By no means is it a bad movie; it just feels too much like we've been down this road before. A tidy 'end' to a very good trilogy that I didn't expect much from when it first started.

And there's the rub.

Jeremy Welsch
jndubbs@gmail.com

Movie Review: The Simpsons Movie by ME

Title: The Simpsons Movie
Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Pamela Hayden
Directed By: David Silverman
Produced By: Hyejoon Yun, David Mirkin, James L. Brooks
Genre: Comedy, Animation and Adaptation
Release Date: July 27th, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for irreverent humor throughout.
Distributors: 20^th Century Fox

It takes a wide screen to fully capture Homer Simpson's stupidity, and The Simpsons Movie does it. In the eagerly-awaited animated feature film based on the hit TV series, Homer must save the world from a catastrophe that he himself created – Official Site

What is there that really needs to be said about a The Simpsons movie? I mean, all you really want is two things. 1. It's got to be good, and 2. It has to go a little farther than what they can do on TV without going over the top. Well, The Simpsons Movie delivers in spades. From the opening scene in which Homer makes fun of people paying to see the movie, to the end credits, The Simpsons Movie is just about perfect. Not too long, and yet not just an extended episode, The Simpsons Movie makes fun of everything from movie goers to Arnold Schwarzenegger, keeping nothing sacred.

The cast is just as perfect as they have always been. I have never really paid attention to who voices who in the show but I finally got an idea how hard the voice actors work on The Simpsons. Most notable is one scene where Marge is leaving Homer (again!) in which Julie Kavner's performance was heartbreaking. You could really tell how much it hurt her to say the things she said. I kind of expected a lot more cameos though. All we get is Green Day, Albert Brooks, Joe Montegna and Tom Hanks, but if that is my only gripe then I really can't complain.

I could go on all day about all of the things that this film pokes fun at but why ruin it for you? If you are a fan, you have probably already seen it. If you are a casual fan (like me) and have the extra cash, it is worth it to see it in a full theater. And FYI, there are some extras during the credits for those interested.

Visit the official site here.

Until Homer gets the Nobel Peace Prize,
keep reading

Mitch E
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

Movie Review: The Simpsons Movie by CD

Title: The Simpsons Movie
Starring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Pamela Hayden
Directed By: David Silverman
Produced By: Hyejoon Yun, David Mirkin, James L. Brooks
Genre: Comedy, Animation and Adaptation
Release Date: July 27th, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for irreverent humor throughout.
Distributors: 20th Century Fox

When Homer mistakenly pollutes the river with toxic waste from his "Pig Crap" silo, he causes the EPA to encase Springfield in a glass dome, and must save them before President Schwarzenegger gives the order for the town to be destroyed. - IMDB.COM

Okay, let me try and put away my inner fan boy. I will admit being a fan of The Simpsons and trying to write an unbiased review is almost a futile as Homer attempting to solve quantum equations. Anyways let's get to this review.

I was initially worried that it wouldn't translate well from tv screen to movie screen. That for some reason, I would be let down as I have been with certain superhero movies that shall go unnamed ::cough:: Spiderman 3 ::cough:: Fantastic 4 ROTSS; but I kept hope in my heart and did my best to put on my big boy pants and deal with whatever came across the screen.

Matt Groening delivered big time. From the opening credits till the end credits, it was one big side splitter of a film. I don't want to give anything away, so it will be a bit difficult to tell you anything about this film. Let me just say that I haven't laughed so much or so hard at a movie in quite some time.

Visually the movie surprised me due to how good the 2-D animation looked. Of course, they added some 3-D animation in for certain scenes, but it was done in a seamless fashion. This is also one of the movies where you have to keep your eyes open for all the little sight gags in the background.

Some may be surprised to see such a short running time for this movie. 87 minutes doesn't seem like much of a movie in a world of big epic 2 and 3 hours movies, but it was a perfect harmonious match for the film. You didn't end up feeling like it was getting boring. I actually wished there had been a little more, but if you take into account the end credit gags, it seems like there is more movie.

Bottom Line? Go see this movie. It is worth the ticket price.

I am going to borrow Mitch's way of ending a review with a snappy line, only because I thought of one for a change.

Until Harry Plopper and the Half Mud Rinse comes out.
Read on!

C.R.Dunham
Crobertdunham@yahoo.com

Movie Review: Sunshine by ME

Title: Sunshine
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Troy Garity, Rose Byrne
Directed By: Danny Boyle
Produced By: Andrew Macdonald, Bernard Bellew
Genre: Action/Adventure, Art/Foreign, Drama, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Thriller
Release Date: July 27th, 2007
MPAA Rating: R
Distributors: 20th Century Fox International, Fox Searchlight Pictures

When the sun begins to die, a team of scientists - Cassie (Rose Byrne), Searle (Cliff Curtis), Mace (Chris Evans), Harvey (Troy Garity), Capa (Cillian Murphy), Kaneda (Hiroyuki Sanada), Trey (Benedict Wong) and Corazon (Michell Yeogh) are sent to reignite the sun in order to save all of mankind. Through unforeseen events, catastrophes, and sabotage, the crew are in a race against time while some one or some thing is determined to stop them.

On the surface Sunshine is your standard Sci-Fi deep space disaster movie, but there is something underlying that speaks volumes. Sunshine is about sacrifices. Plain and simple. Through many mini disasters you see the crews determination to complete the mission at all costs including murder, sacrifice and downright lunacy. Danny Boyle proves once again that he is on the rise. Although the story is slow at times, there is enough action, thrills and suspense to keep you hanging on for the ride. Towards the end things get a little hazy due to some chaotic camera movements and a blurring effect that I believe is supposed to add an element of the unknown but just frustrated me as I wanted to see what the hell was going on! But, in the end, it all comes together to make for a slightly different take on the standard plot of this type while still packing a punch.

Each actor and actress has at least one shining moment on the big screen. Whether it's emotional turmoil due to a decision that needs to be made, determination to follow through, or a reaction to an event. I don't want to break this down as I usually do, but let it suffice to say that there aren't any bad performances in this flick and that while there won't be any awards for Sunshine, the importance of their mission lends a gravity to each performance.

Effects wise there are some beautiful shots of the sun and it's raw power, as well as other displays of energy signatures and things of that sort. Nothing super outstanding, good or bad. And to me that is a sign of well done effects. You just accept them for what they are.

Final thoughts – while this movie will most likely be attacked for it's lack of scientific realism (I have said it before and I will say it again – If you want realism, watch a documentary), I will, at the very least, recommend it for a DVD viewing if you can't catch it while it is in theaters.

Don't forget to vist the official site at www.foxsearchlight.com/sunshine

I wanted to come with a Little Miss Sunshine joke here, but couldn't do it.

So keep reading,

Mitch E.
mitchemerson@hotmail.com

DVD Review: Dead Silence by JR

Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She had no children, only dolls. And if you see her in your dreams, make sure you never ever scream.

The legend of Mary Shaw haunted the dreams of many children of the small town of Raven’s Fair. After his wife is mysteriously murdered, Jamie must travel home to face his family and to try to break the curse.

“Dead Silence”, by the same writers and director who brought us “Saw”, is proof that lightning only strikes once in one place. Being a big fan of the “Saw” movies, I was pretty excited to see this one, even though it got awful reviews. I figured that it got awful reviews because it was a horror movie with an early in the year release. Those kinds of movies almost always get bad reviews. This one unfortunately warranted the bad reviews.

The biggest reason why it was so bad was that it followed every horror/detective movie stereotype. For example, Donnie Wahlberg’s character. Let me paint a picture of what he looks like the first time we see him. He’s got a handlebar moustache, a receding hairline, a perpetual five-o-clock shadow, he’s wearing a trench coat and a shirt and tie, loosely tied around his neck to appear disheveled, and he’s eating a doughnut. Gee, I wonder what his character does for a living. Perhaps he’s a cop? No, better! He’s a detective investigating the murder of Jamie’s wife. Every line this guy delivers is straight out of any noir/detective/good cop bad cop type movie or TV show. It starts out as laughable, but by the end of the movie it’s just ridiculous. Can’t this guy get a gig on Dancing With the Stars like the other boy band has beens?

The movie also used the same effects over and over again. This one in particular: A car will be driving down a road. Then the image of the car on the road will morph into the map of the area, the sign for the town of Raven’s Fair, then it will morph from the sign back into the car driving down the road. The movie used this same effect several times. The first time it’s cool. The second, third, and fourth times? Not so much.

The action moved way too slow for my taste. Especially for a horror movie. We see the one killing in the beginning (again, stereotypical), but then the next killing isn’t until we’ve passed the hour mark. And nothing is accomplished in this hour!!

Oh yeah, and since it’s by the same folks who wrote “Saw”, there’s a “twist” ending. Wow. The twist is glossed by so quickly that I really could care less about trying to figure it out. I’m sure it does make sense, if you spent the time online reading message boards or watching some of the special features, but really, I don’t care. It was simply ridiculous.

I’ve been trying to think of positive things about this movie while I’ve been writing about all of the bad things about it…the only thing I could think of was the doll. Billy. He’s really got a creepy voice. I don’t know who did his voice, but it was really creepy.

Visit the official site at http://www.deadsilencemovie.net/

Jenny Rushing
beccajane67@yahoo.com

DVD Review: Coyote Funeral by CD

Title: Coyote Funeral
Starring: Jono Young, Zach Freeman, Nikole Salas, Elizabeth Wilson
Directed By: Phelps Harmon, Jason May
Produced By: Jason May, Sherng-Lee Huang, Taten Sheridan
Genre: Drama
Release Date: June 19, 2007
MPAA Rating: NA
Distributors: Coyote Funeral Productions

When Casey Cannon sees the Texas road sign that proclaims 857 miles to El Paso, he takes it as a challenge to traverse the giant state on foot. His brother Dustin can only follow to protect him. Whether or not they make it will depend less on braving the elements than surviving each other. -IMDB.COM

This film caught my attention from the minute I read the tag line. “In a walk across Texas, the greatest distance is between two brothers” I am not entirely sure why that tag line caught me. I am glad it did though, otherwise, I would have missed a really good story.

Casey Cannon (Jono Young) is a normal loving son and brother, until he sees something “No boy should ever know about his momma”. He takes off to where ever the wind may blow him. Leaving behind his older brother, Dustin (Zach Freeman), to deal with helping out at their family ranch. Time jumps ahead a bit and Casey comes home just in time to take a trip with Dustin. They set off to head back home. Although Casey is strongly protesting going home, he stills uses the trip as an opportunity to bond a little bit and get to know his brother again. Along the way they pick up Nancy Kate (Nikole Salas) who Casey thinks is just what Dustin needs to snap out of his sadness over his woman giving him the boot.

This film started off kind of choppy, The transitioning from scene to seen in the first few minutes of the movie seemed like the editor was still trying to get a feel for this film's flow. By the time they reach the El Paso sign things begin to move more fluidly. Even though it is a drama it had a few entertaining moments in fights between the two brothers. Plus you have to love some of the terminology that Texans use.

Casey can get on your nerves at times with how brash and vocal he is on his views on life and women, but so can Dustin with his whining and pining for his ex. These two are almost the quintessential idea of brothers. Two opposites that when combined work well, that is if they can stop arguing. Through course of the movie both Dustin and Casey end up finding something inside them they didn't know was there. I love these kinds of movies, where the audience gets to grow with the character.

All in all this was a pretty good showing for an Independent film. It kept me involved and wanting to know where the story was going through the entire 87 minutes. Both myself and my wife enjoyed this film, and I will be recommending it to a few friends as well.

Visit the official Coyote Funeral Website.

Keep sending me those Indie films!
C.R. Dunham
Crobertdunham@yahoo.com