Castle in the Sky (Tenku no Shiro Rapyuta) (1986)

Castle in the Sky joins the growing stable of Hayao Miyazaki animation films that my youngest son and I have seen, fallen in love with, and clamor to own. It's a marvelously inventive tale of a world full of airships, giant winged robots, and flying cities. Air pirates as well as government agents and soldiers are pursuing Sheeta, a mysterious girl wearing a crystal pendant that protects her from harm even as her pursuers seek to capture it. She is aided by Pazu, a boy who is determined to confirm his late father's sighting the fabled flying city of Laputa. Miyazaki's stories and characters are always inventive and his animation is rewarding to see. Enjoy! 5 stars.

Casino Royale (2006)

Casino Royale is more than a serious reboot of the James Bond franchise, it's a barnstormer of an action movie in its own right. Daniel Craig as an explosively physical younger Bond resembles Matt Damon's wolloping whoop@ss in The Bourne Ultimatum more than Pierce Brosnan's tank driving in Goldeneye. (Let's face it, Bond movies are more about physicality, women, and wit than spy tricks and gadgets.) Craig is also witty, urbane, and drives like a banshee out of Bexley. I esp. enjoyed the parkour-style "free running" chase and seeing the one time in Bond's back story when he lets down his guard and truly falls for a woman who is worthy as his match. I like Eva Green a lot in her role as Vesper Lynd, even if her dreamy doe eyes revert to beady ferret eyes when left to her own cosmetic devices on the red carpet. Enjoy this welcome addition to the Bond canon! 5 stars.

To the Limit (Am Limit) (2007)

To the Limit was released in theaters about the same time as Man on a Wire but I missed the former on the big screen. Seeing it in an IMAX theater would be awesome! The film is 95% in German with subtitles so if you're unable or unwilling to put in the effort, save yourself the trouble (and the irony, since the entire point of the movie is about facing physical as well as psychological challenges that seem impossible but, once faced and accomplished, provide a profound sense of satisfaction and meaning). While the Huber brothers are two of the world's best climbers attacking one of the world's premiere rock faces (Yosemite National Park's El Capitan), To the Limit is not another "because it's there, rock on, dude" treatment of extreme-sports mountaineering. These two career "speed climbers" are athletically impressive but also highly realistic, self-aware, and articulate about their relationship, personal (physical and psychological) challenges, and philosophy of life. Two other climbing colleagues of the Hubers also contribute to some of the most reflective commentary I've ever heard on the physical and psychological challenges and rewards of climbing and life in general. The scenery is exquisite and panoramic, the soundtrack is excellent, and I have not seen a more realistic and gripping film about the moment-by-moment expenditure of sweat and adrenaline to accomplish one's immediate as well as lifelong goals. Highly recommended! 4.5 stars.

Adam (2009)

Adam is a sensitive, nuanced, and accurate portrayal of a highly intelligent young man named Adam (Hugh Dancy) who has Asperger's syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism that presents itself somewhat differently in every person but essentially indicates a diminished ability to experience, much less recognize and respond to, social and emotional cues such as irony, empathy, and humor. As a parent with Asperger's in the family, I was impressed with and at times deeply moved by Hugh's portrayal of Adam, an astronomy buff and software engineer who at age 29 has the great fortune of meeting a woman sensitive enough to truly perceive his inner value and even to fall in love with him. There is no sex -- and just one mention of "no sex" -- so children as young as 13 to 14 could readily see this movie with any parent who is interested in a story about the authentic desire to be appreciated, held, and loved (with or without handicaps or weaknesses, which are only human). I heartily recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in a poignant (even quasi-tragic) love story -- because love isn't necessarily simple or neat. Don't look for a tidy or traditional happy ending; Adam is more like real life than Hollywood -- and this movie demonstrates how that can be a good thing. 5 stars.

Davey and Goliath's Snowboard Christmas (2004)

Art Clokey's son Joe carries on the Davey and Goliath tradition with Snowboard Christmas, an updated ecumenical offering of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In it, Davey meets a few of his neighbors -- a Jewish family and a Muslim family -- while collecting for the Children's Christmas Fund. He's startled to learn that not everyone celebrates Christmas -- and that he may not be the best snowboarder in town -- so he learns humility (through the organic development of the story more than a didactic moral-of-the-story summation). The Clokey state-of-the-art stopmotion techniques that originated in Gumby and Pokey as well as Davey and Goliath are also updated with more secure armatures and frame-by-frame video-review technology (as we learn in three short-short featurettes that make up the special features). 3 stars.

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York hits many of the same touchstones (and body parts) as Kevin's home-defense hijinks in the first movie (for example, playing rope-a-dope with paint cans on a rope and, well, just some very creative uses of rope and clothesline to thwart a pair of burglars). Instead of defending his home this time, though, Kevin has to distract the duo in mid-burglary of a toy store's charity collection then lure them into a tenement he has boobytrapped. Maudlin moments intersperse with mayhem played for physical humor that's almost Wile E. Coyote-esque. As expected, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) uncovers a message of togetherness at Christmastime with the toy store owner and a homeless bird lady (Brenda Fricker) as his only human connections while "lost in New York." Good stuff from Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Tim Curry, and the rest. 3.5 stars.

Masterpiece Theatre: The Wind in the Willows (2006)

The Wind in the Willows from Masterpiece Theatre is a delight -- even a hoot. To see the human cast made up and playing Mole, Rat, Badger, and the stoats and weasels -- to say nothing of the lugubrious Mr. Toad! -- induces a constant sense of adventure and satisfaction. Granted, Wind in the Willows is an Edwardian character-based story that unfolds in the pastoral English countryside. It is the antithesis of Michael Bay's Transformers. (Thank God.) Almost every line and facial expression is delivered with a stiff upper lip -- except for Toad's ever-wagging or quivering lips -- so dialog and developments are what make this show a pleasure to watch. I love all the characters but Toad is quite the star of this show and played resoundingly over-the-top -- Matt Lucas has to be seen to be believed. Kudos to the whole cast and to the production values of this masterpiece! 4 stars.

Catfish in Black Bean Sauce (2000)

Catfish in Black Bean Sauce is a mixed kettle with a fair bit to like and a bit less not to like. It takes some fun risks and shows more originality than I expected while its weaknesses mostly center on one character (who also serves as the writer and director, I learned afterwards). Our story begins as a graying black couple (well-played by Paul Winfield and Mary Alice with the often-tender, sometimes-prickly sparring of a married couple with grown children) muses aloud about their jellico (tuxedo) cat, who is blind. They have two Vietnamese children, siblings adopted after the war; Mai is married and Dwight is considering marriage. Dwight hates the cat and is so inwardly myopic that he hasn't noticed its handicap. Dwight is a chronically frustrating character in this movie with mainly one irksome expression that he wears almost constantly. Moreover, he is so emotionally unavailable that he seems unable to recognize others' emotions or express others of his own. He blunders the proposal to his beautiful and intelligent fiancee, of whom a traffic cop tells him, "She's way out of your league." He muddles through various challenges in this relationship and with his family -- all normal stuff yet a great struggle for him to cope with. I could never figure out why he was so neurotic. The movie shows some originality by giving us a number of situations where Dwight wades into some fantastically weird situations and screams, only to return to a perfectly mundane moment in the present reality. The plot thickens as Mai suddenly announces to Dwight and her parents that she has tracked down their birthmother in Vietnam and arranged for her to come (the next day) and stay for a week. (Mai then becomes an almost absent character and we see way too much of Dwight's grimacing mask.) The contention between adoptive mother and birthmother seems contrived esp. as it comes to a rollicking boil. To sum up, it's a yeomanlike script that carries the water but sloshes a lot on the way to the kitchen. I would like it enough to award 3.5 stars but its aggravations beg for 2.5 stars, so on average I am giving it 3 stars. (8-23-10 posted 9-19-10)

Wheelmen (2002)

Wheelmen was more enjoyable than I expected. The ensemble cast, while not stellar, is more than adequate and takes plenty of good turns with a workable, character-driven script. I certainly didn't like Wheelmen as much as One Fine Day, Guarding Tess, or even Big Trouble but it was almost on par with My Fellow Americans. The leading man and head limo driver carries the movie well while his ne'er-do-well brother gets in just enough hijinx then skates through. There is an intelligent and adorable moppet who needs a home and his social worker who becomes a love interest. Other entertaining characters include a former limo driver for Lenin, a perky token blonde, a respectable senior driver, a schlubby young driver, a klutzy putz of a driver, and the schmoozing company owner. The limo crew is hired to join the vice presidental entourage to drive decoy limos (or possibly drive the real one). Rainn Wilson plays a former federal agent who has uncovered a plot to kill the vice president; he needs the limo crew's protection from two beefy hitmen (as does their homeboy dispatcher) not to mention their help to save the veep. (Note: The bikini-clad woman on the poster art has nothing to do with the movie's cast or content. Wheelmen does, however, have an odd fantasy scene with a much hotter bikini-clad woman who slithers out of a swimming pool in the middle of nowhere.) Wheelmen is not a great movie but it's quite fun and enjoyable for what it is. (I rented this movie through a competing service since it has been out of stock on this service for many months -- then it became available for instant viewing the next day.) Enjoy! 3 stars. (8-23-10 posted 9-19-10)

Ffolkes (1980)

Between James Bond gigs, Roger Moore plays the irascible and insufferably conceited Rufus Excalibur Ffolkes, leader of the Ffolkes Ffusiliers, a hand-picked team of ex-military men that he trains in antiterrorist operations. (They look a bit shabby to me.) He believes in three things above all: Every operation can be planned and practiced with split-second timing, every one of his operations will succeed ("naturally"), and women are hardly worth speaking to (much less with any veneer of civility). Hired to provide security for Britain's North Shore drilling rigs (where he is told revenues amounting to one-fourth of the defense budget are at risk), he announces that he expects no attacks for several months due to the weather -- just before we witness a team of bad guys (led by Anthony Perkins as Lou Kramer) spring a well-planned ransom-or-go-boom operation. Moore as Ffolkes leads the testosterone-imbued banter and counteroperations at all times and ably maintains an upper hand (whether through intellect or action or both). Ffolkes is certainly not a modern action movie nor a James Bond film but it's actually quite likeable and should hold your interest so long as your expectations are not too high. (I had to acquire it from a competing service since it has been a Save title here for a very long time.) Enjoy! 3 stars. (9-19-10)

Lilies of the Field (1963)

Lilies of the Field is a foundational classic movie that stands at the intersection of religious faith and a clutch of other social mores (including faith in self and one's fellow man) and finds an amiable common ground woven through the whole tapestry. Sidney Poitier was the first black actor to win an Oscar for his role as Homer Smith, an ex-soldier and a skilled construction worker (apparently of roads as well as buildings) who is "just passing through" a desolate stretch of New Mexico. Seeking water for his radiator, the smartly if casually dressed Homer is pressed into service by a convent of nuns (formerly of East Germany) whose mother superior alone can barely speak English -- but she never takes No for an answer. She prays in German on his arrival: "God in heaven, thank you for sending us a strong man," seeing his arrival as an answer to prayer. She has a slew of plans for expansion of the tiny convent grounds, starting with the chicken coop's roof and moving on to the construction of an adobe-brick church (and more). He insists that he will work for pay; eventually he is disabused of that notion. How he arrives at the moment (and the depth) of his own assent to the task at hand is part of a common journey of faith; as Homer teaches the nuns to speak English and sing gospel songs, their unlikely assembly builds a sense of community. Poitier is perfect for his role, played with wit and whimsy, as was Lilia Skala for hers as Mother Maria, an imperious and insistent spiritual matriarch who seems incapable of saying "Thank you." This movie, released in 1963, also makes significant statements about race relations as Homer addresses the white foreman who wants to hire him in the same way he has been addressed ("Hey, Boy!") and how the Hispanic parishioners amusingly insinuate themselves into the church construction project, followed by a communal celebration that night. In the end, a dream is fulfilled because everyone has done their part -- including, insists Mother Maria, God. 4.5 stars. (8-23-10 posted 9-19-10)

Frost Nixon: The Original Watergate Interviews (1977)

As I suppose one might expect, the actual Frost/Nixon interviews are not as focused or dramatic as the movie version in which Frank Langella plays President Richard Nixon (to which I give 4.5 stars). Like a video transcript, the actual interviews constitute a vital historical record, of course, esp. as "primary source materials" and so they are essential viewing for anyone interested in the topic. (Don't overlook The Complete Watergate Interviews if you are so inclined.) These interviews feel like a younger cousin to Meet the Press, with David Frost feinting from the start with a cagey opening question ("Do you feel that you have obstructed justice?") and Nixon bobbing and weaving (verbally) throughout as he "explains" how his motivations and actions did not amount to committing a crime. In the end, I almost missed Nixon's key admission that he let down the nation and everyone involved. (His words were more effectively framed in the dramatized version.) At 88 minutes (the Instant View version was 75 minutes), the actual interviews are must-see viewing if you are a politics or history junkie. Just bring some popcorn to replace the missing adrenaline with energetic munching. 3.5 stars. (8-24-10 posted 9-19-10)

Law-Abiding Citizen (2009)

Gerard Butler further burnishes his tough-guy image in Law-Abiding Citizen, a gritty thriller that reminds us how grit is something that grates the teeth and is not made from hominy. Butler is Clyde Shelton, a man who not only nurtures a grudge with the justice system for ten years following a trial of the murderer of his little girl but he has the unique skills to carry out a plan for vengeance so complex that no one can foresee each devastating assault or explosion. How does he do it -- and does he have help? The police stumble onto part of the solution midway through the plot or they never would have stopped this guy. It's a revenge movie unlike any other I've seen -- perhaps like The Usual Suspects meets Prison Break with a touch of Swordfish. It will hold you to your seat! 4.5 stars. (9-2-10 posted 9-19-10)

The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 1 (2007)

In The Sarah Silverman Show, Sarah plays herself as a sweet naif whose misunderstandings of social mores (esp. utterances and incidents of political incorrectness) continually get her in trouble. Even so, in every instance she is saved by her facile ability to inspire or unite the crowds she previously offended. Think of it as The Office meets Moral Orel -- that is, a Jewish female version of Michael Scott who foments mobs (until she pacifies their anger with ironically didactic platitudes). Sarah plays the classic "holy fool" in secular fashion and with (e)scatological themes. The ensemble of actors is acceptable: Laura is Sarah's real sister; Jay is Laura's bend-the-rules policeman boyfriend; Brian and Steve are Sarah's gay neighbors (though so gone-to-seed, not to mention off-gaydar, that their frumpishness has to be ironic). Season 1: 1/Officer Jay (swilling cough syrup while driving, Sarah lands a DUI but gets off when Officer Jay is introduced to Laura), 2/Humanitarian of the Year (Sarah, to upstage Jay for winning a Humanitarian of the Year award, takes in a homeless man [Zach Galifianakis] but is smug about things like actually feeding him), 3/Positively Negative (Sarah takes an AIDS test then, assuming she has AIDS, empties her sister's account to promote a smarmy AIDS awareness foundation), 4/Not Without My Daughter (Sarah coaches a young girl to vicariously compete in a beauty competition), 5/Muffin' Man (Jay's new partner is a lesbian so Sarah claims to be one too), 6/Batteries (Sarah shops for batteries for her remote so she can turn off help-sick-children commercials then has a one-night stand with God, who is black). Topical, cutting-edge humor plus lowbrow poop jokes! 4.5 stars.

Titan Maximum: Season 1 (2009)

Titan Maximum is Justice Action League meets Robot Chicken -- or smack-talking Transformer pilots with pottymouths worse than South Park. (The DVD has no bleeps.) It's a hilarious low-budget stopmotion series from the sick minds behind Robot Chicken. (Tom Root and Matt Senreich produce and Seth Green voices the turncoat despot wannabe Gibbs.) After losing two crew members in the pilot episode, the slapped-back-together Titan Maximum team fills the empty seats with Palmer's geeky younger brother Willie and Leon the taciturn monkey janitor to save the world "a-gain!" The crack space pilots are constantly fighting amongst themselves when they're not verbally or physically b-tch-slapping the bad guys (or getting wrecked themselves). In each episode, all five ships unite, Transformers-style, to form Titan Maximum, a giant mechabot that generally fights giant monsters or robots with the strategy of "Punch the f--- out of it!" (Palmer's style) or eviscerating its genitals or other vulnerable parts (Sasha's style). With the exception of Willie, the innocent tech nerd, and Leon (my favorite character since his stoic silence suggests more than all the smacktalk and backtalk), every character redefines the brassy egotist: magenta-suited Palmer listens to no one but himself, black-suited Sasha acts like Paris Hilton on crank (she's actually the Mars president's daughter and a perpetual celebrity slut who repeatedly shoots an enemy's knee then crushes it underfoot all while laughing maniacally), yellow-suited Jodi's sunny disposition covers her take-no-prisoners martial-arts skills, and rogue ex-team member Gibbs. Season 1: 1/Pilot (TM, stripped of funds, regroups to fight a lava monster robot attack), 2/Busted (team rallies public demand to rebuild TM as Adm. B-tchface's attack on Gibbs fails), 3/Tip of the Iceberg (TM fights ice monster as Gibbs assembles a WMD), 4/Went to Party, Got Crabs (TM battles giant crab robot that would kill peace envoys as Gibbs assembles a WMD), 5/To Eris, Human! (Jodi reconnects with Gibbs before she returns to TM), 6/Dirty Lansbury (TM seeks Gibbs on Mercury, a retirement home planet chock full of old folks), 7/Megamum Overdrive (Gibbs airs a sex tape with Jodi, TM is replaced with a rival mechabot), 8/Mercury Falling (Gibbs steals rival mechabot to destroy Mercury as TM rebands to thwart him), 9/One Billion Dead Grandparents (TM battles Gibbs and his little-ninja-girl assassin Claire to save Mercury). 5 stars.

Johnny Bravo: Season 1 (1995)

(Part 2 of 2) Johnny Bravo talks like Elvis, acts like an antic gymnast, and is a babe magnet (in his own mind). He lives in Aron (Elvis's middle name) City, constantly shows off his bod, and crudely hits on babes (before they literally hit him). Each episode opens as JB says: "Baby! ... Sassy! ... Studly! ... Check the pecs! ... Man, I'm pretty! ... Do the Monkey with me!" (dancing) "Hey, baby!" (gets bopped) "Yeah, whatever..." Watch closely to catch all the in-jokes and cameos. (In a split-second scene in the first episode, a man who looks like Jesus is holding a sign that says "Stop cartoon violence.") My favorite episodes tend to be those written by Family Guy's Seth MacFarland (Jumbo Johnny, Johnny Real Good, JB Meets Adam West!, JB Meets Donny Osmond) or voiced by Maurice LaMarche or Mark Hamill. I have enjoyed episodes on TV but to see them all, I had to rent both Season 1 discs from a competing service. Disc 2 contains episodes 9/ Substitute Teacher (a thief robs JB's karate dojo and dupes JB into being his accomplice), A Wolf in Chick's Clothing (JB goes on a blind date with a female werewolf and hopes for the best), Intensive Care (JB visits Suzy in the hospital, hits on the nurse, and gets laid up by a Lorre-esque intern), 10/Jumbo Johnny (JB orders a sleazy bodybuilding product, Uber Mass, but impatience makes him gargantuan and fat), The Perfect Gift (Suzy's lemonade stand provides her with bags of money for a Mother's Day gift but JB is clueless about earning a buck), Bravo James Bravo (JB and Jane Bond are teamed as 007-like agents to defeat Dr. Pencilneck and his geekifying machine), 11/ Going Batty (a Natasha-like vampire dates JB to make her nerdy boyfriend jealous), Berry the Butler (Bunny Bravo wins pop star Berry Vanderbolton as butler for a day but JB abuses the situation), Red-Faced in the White House (the President's daughter tires of dating robot boys and escapes with JB, who gets beaten up by Secret Service agents Pim and Shlomo), 12/ The Man Who Cried 'Clown' (JB awakes in "the Zone where normal things don't happen very often" in a Shatneresque situation involving a plane and a clown), Johnny Real Good (in another Serling-inspired tale, JB babysits a spoiled young brat with supernatural powers), Little Talky Tabitha! (JB attends a tea party with Suzy after her doll talks and acts threateningly), 13/Johnny Bravo Meets Adam West! (AW plays himself as a blazer-suited hero who finds the missing Bunny Bravo), Under the Big Flop (JB and Suzy go to the circus and free Jungle Boy from the evil ringmaster Vickie Vixen), Johnny Meets Donny Osmond (after JB breaks his mother's prize possession, DO plays himself as JB's cheerful nanny). I love this show! 4.5 stars.

Teorema (1968)

Teorema (Theorem) is one of those quintessentially exasperating foreign-language art films: Italian with English subtitles, Marxist-toned introductory scene, frequent monochromatic pan shots of a barren mountain range, abrupt scene changes, inexplicable comings and goings, lots of wordless scenes and casual sex (implied, never shown -- this is 1968 after all), odd vignettes, an obnoxious octave-jumping musical score (by Morricone, no less), obtuse symbology that few will understand, and fading to black with "Fine (The End)"! Teorema's message requires some thought but doesn't make it easy. The film's final scene completes a circle with the opening scene (which linearly should be the last), where a TV journalist is interviewing a factory's employees about the significance of its owner turning over ownership of the facility to the workers. He seems to want it both ways, editorializing through loaded questions that employees as owners have lost their right to stage a workers' revolution even as their economic ascension validates the middle class and increasingly identifies it with "humanity," thereby marginalizing the rich and powerful. Next, our story begins as the emotionally barren family of the industrialist in question hosts a houseguest (Terence Stamp) in their manse (for reasons that are never clear). In short order (and usually after a wide crotch shot or a closeup of his blue eyes), every member of the household invites and then welcomes his seduction -- maid, son, mother, daughter, and father. Suddenly, he announces he must leave -- so each family member tearfully relates to him (around the dinner table, no less) how much his "love" has changed them from who they were to what they've become. The rest of the movie shows how they deal with that transformation after his departure -- not well, as a rule. (In the most sane example, the socialite mother takes to picking up multiple young men in front of another city's church for trysts in the dirt outside another church in the countryside.) Each family member in their own way goes insane. The maid, however, apparently attains an odd spiritual transformation through fasting and penitence. You'll have to see Teorema to decide for yourself what it means, but to do so you will need to have made your peace with subtitles as well as symbolic and metaphorical meanings. Don't see Teorema unless you are ready to think it through -- probably after more than one viewing and over several days! I would have rated Teorema 3 stars if the film weren't so exasperating and the actors were better than deadpan. 2.5 stars.

Starz Studios: Piranha 3D / Lottery Ticket / Nanny McPhee Returns (2010)

This 12-minute Starz featurette adequately represented a range of films: Nanny McPhee Returns, The Switch, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Piranha 3D, Spartacus: Blood and Sand (though substantially duplicated with another Starz featurette), City Island, and Lottery Ticket (almost as substantially duplicated with another Starz featurette). Seeing this featurette increased my interest in renting the movies The Switch, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, and City Island. Piranha 3D looks to be wild though! 3 stars.

Starz Studios: 2010 Comic-Con in San Diego (2010)

In all of just 12 minutes, this Starz featurette gave a rapid but welcome introduction to a wide range of Comic-Con-appearing movies: Tron Legacy, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Priest, Battle: Los Angeles, Machete, Red, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Rifftrax Live!: Reefer Madness, Sucker Punch, The Grind, Adopted, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, and The Disappearance of Alice Creed. After seeing all these films' presentations, I would say I am more interested (and, in a couple of cases, jazzed) to see every one except Pauly Shore's Adopted. 3.5 stars.

Starz Studios: Going the Distance / The Last Exorcism / Takers (2010)

I would have given this Starz Studios preview 3.5 stars, however, it does not actually include Going the Distance and it lightly covers The Last Exorcism as well as Avatar: Special Edition (featuring 8 additional minutes of previously unseen footage, a few fast cuts which are visible). Except for those two titles, this Starz featurette devotes 1-2 minutes each to the following movies in this order: Takers, Eat Pray Love, Flipped, Lottery Ticket, Vampires Suck, The Last Exorcism, Avatar: Special Edition, Centurion, and Spartacus: Blood and Sand (with a nod to the coming Spartacus: Gods of the Arena). From among these selections, I want to see Eat Pray Love more than ever and Flipped very much as well. Centurion and Spartacus will follow someday but I'm good on brassy Roman warrior spectacles for now. I appreciate becoming even more confident that I don't want to see Takers, Lottery Ticket, Vampires Suck, and The Last Exorcism. (They are well-represented here, just not appealing to me.) I disagree with the actress who thinks Vampires Suck honors the Twilight story so its fans will like it. It's possible, but -- Jacob leaping high to become a chihuahua? Bella's face turning into a Big Mac? A beer bong full of blood? The humor, if any, lies in the parody not in the situation -- the bloodletting, if you will, not the joke itself. I will probably see Vampires Suck someday just because it's a parody but this preview left me cold. 3 stars.

Iceman (1984)

Iceman has some beautiful arctic cinematography during its opening credits (suggestive of The Thing) and an attractive soundtrack (reminiscent of the hauntingly plaintive bassoon tracks from Never Cry Wolf). As a caveman story (albeit about a resuscitated one), Iceman presents a sci-fi spin on The Quest for Fire as it takes its science and linguistics seriously. While the premise lies beyond plausibility, this movie makes every effort to present and explain the biology and medical science believably (right down to the buttercups). As a result, we get a humanistic tale where Timothy Hutton as the anthropologist Shepherd counters the hard-bitten scientists who want to dissect the iceman piece by piece, treating him like scientific chattel instead of as a person. He then risks his life to initiate an ongoing dialog with "Charly" (echoes of Flowers for Algernon) as they puzzle out each other's words for such things as "earth" and "bird." After Shepherd figures out what motivates Charly -- I could follow the wheels turning in their minds just through the linguistics -- the ending may disappoint some viewers (though it seems likely Charly got what he wanted). This movie works for me because it takes all factors and actors seriously, opting for authentic human dialog and respect instead of rancor and division. The conclusion is based on human choices as opposed to human failures. Iceman is a gem from 1984 that should endure because it focuses on the human question more than the solution. While slightly dated, its essence seems timeless. (I had to acquire this disc from a competing service since it is not in stock at this rental service. See my growing Bl-ckbuster list to find movies you can only rent elsewhere then rate and review here.) Enjoy! 4 stars.

Johnny Bravo: Season 1 (1995)

(Part 1 of 2) Johnny Bravo: Season 1 introduces us to Johnny Bravo, who talks like Elvis and acts like an antic gymnast and (in his own mind) babe magnet. He lives in Aron (Elvis's middle name) City, constantly shows off his bod and hits on babes (before they literally hit him). Each episode opens as JB says: "Baby! ... Sassy! ... Studly! ... Check the pecs! ... Man, I'm pretty! ... Do the Monkey with me!" (dancing) "Hey, baby!" (gets bopped) "Yeah, whatever..." He's pretty much a clueless posing Neanderthal who is a stitch in slapstick but the show's magic is in its scripts and smart parodies: Family Guy's Seth MacFarland wrote several (A Date with an Antelope, My Fair Dork, The Day the Earth..., Aisle of Mixed-Up Toys), Adam West narrates 'Twas the Night, the whole Scooby gang shows up in Bravo Dooby-Doo, and the Schoolhouse Rock fellow schools JB in The Sensitive Male! I enjoyed many of these episodes on TV but to see them all, I had to rent the season from a competing service. Disc 1 contains: 1/Johnny Bravo (introducing JB, mom Bunny Bravo, neighbor girl Suzy), Jungle Boy in Mr. Monkeyman (JB lands on jungle island, foils gorilla king's schemes), Johnny Bravo and the Amazon Women (JB thinks he's found heaven); 2/Super Duped (JB plays superhero), Bungled in the Jungle (JB rejoins Jungle Boy), Bearly Enough Time! (JB awakens Chronos the Bear); 3/The Sensitive Male! (JB learns how to be sensitive or fake it), Bravo Dooby-Doo (JB helps "those meddling kids" solve mystery); 4/A Date with an Antelope (JB has Internet date with antelope), Did You See a Bull Run By Here? (JB goes bullfighting), Cookie Crisis (Buttercup Scout Suzy sells cookies a la Green Eggs and Ham); 5/I Used To Be Funny (old-school vs. new-school clown duel with JB as victim), My Fair Dork (school geek out-Bravos JB), 'Twas the Night (JB subs for Santa); 6/Blarney Buddies (JB tries to kiss Barney Stone the leprechaun), Over the Hump! (JB joins legionnaires, crosses desert with Lawrence the Camel), Johnny Meets Farrah Fawcett (JB idolizes the only person with hair nicer than his); 7/Blanky Hanky Panky (JB foils villain from stealing all town's yarn and his blanky), Talk to Me Baby (JB goes on supermodel's talk show), Hip Hop Flop (JB joins hip-hop group to impress fangirl); 8/Beach Blanket Bravo (beach babe uses JB to irk boyfriend), The Day the Earth Didn't Move Around Very Much (JB thinks time has frozen so takes advantage), Aisle of Mixed-Up Toys (JB buys castoff toys for charity). I love this show! 4.5 stars.

Crank (2006)

On the strength of Jason Statham's Transporter movies, I bought Crank on clearance and finally watched it. Yikes! I'm fine with Crank's Transporter meets Run Lola Run angle and even the shaky cam. I'll gloss over its garish special effects. The problem with this film is that it promises adrenaline (and delivers a copious amount of it) but its plot has gaping holes you could drive a Mack truck through. The premise: Statham is a hit man who has been overpowered by bad guys and injected with a drug that should kill him within the hour. Dwight Yoakum is a medical friend who tells him, in dribs and drabs by cell phone, to keep his adrenaline pumping if he wants to survive. So Statham begins a nonstop sleuthing chase to catch the bad guys, demand an antidote, or whatever works out in the end. The thing is, running equals adrenaline; smashing up a place equals adrenaline; jumping into a cab and riding to the next scene does not equal adrenaline -- and this movie is inconsistent with how many minutes of inactivity that Statham experiences before he begins to fade (and needs to whip up more adrenaline). I may watch it again someday but Crank used a patina of thrills to cover up one too many yawns for my taste. 3.5 stars.

Date Night (2010)

Given their intelligence and comedic skills, I had a reasonable expectation that Steve Carell and Tina Fey would deliver the funny in Date Night (despite a smattering of snippets and prerelease publicity that I could only term as blase). So I was pleasantly vindicated after finally catching their film on DVD (obtained from a competitor that gets popular movies one month before this rental service). Some seem to complain that Date Night's comedy and action are less than full-bore -- and if it is the brassy, blast-laden half of The Other Guys that they seek (which is actually a spoof of over-the-top cop action films), they would be right. What Steve and Tina deliver instead is the nuanced, whimsy-laden half of The Other Guys (there so aptly team-played by Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg). Indeed, Date Night's third star, Wahlberg again, plays a mild-mannered guy who is as inscrutably whimsical as he remains shirtless. Even so, Steve and Tina remain the focus, and they ably carry the movie -- even the outtakes that run throughout the closing credits show their improvisational genius -- so long as viewers can appreciate understated, script- and character-driven humor such as in The Office. Date Night resonates with comedy favorites like True Lies, where a boring suburbanite couple tries to break out of their rut for just one night and gets a helluva lot more than they bargained for. (I'm never a fan of scenes set in strip clubs but both movies serve up a crisp clueless-couple salad with light raunch dressing on the side.) Date Night is not family-viewing fare unless your kids are a mature 13 or older -- but all sexual references are innocuous and "keep it uptown." Best of all to my mind, Date Night shows the chemistry of a married couple that knows each other and is committed to each other -- no matter what may befall them during the Date from Hell. 4 stars.