The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
PG-13
3 stars
Directed By Stephen Norrington
Starring Sean Connery, Peta Wilson
Alan Quartermain, Minna Harker, The Invisible Man, Dorian Gray,
Dr. Jekyll, Captain Nemo and Tom Sawyer are recruited by a
mysterious man to combat the forces of The Phantom, who wishes to
start a world war as a means to profit from his next generation of
modern weapons.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
PG-13
3 stars
Directed By Stephen Norrington
Starring Sean Connery, Peta Wilson
Alan Quartermain, Minna Harker, The Invisible Man, Dorian Gray, Dr. Jekyll, Captain Nemo and Tom Sawyer are recruited by a mysterious man to combat the forces of The Phantom, who wishes to start a world war as a means to profit from his next generation of modern weapons.
The comic book adaptation gets a Victorian treatment. Fans not vehemently attached to Alan Moore’s source material should enjoy League’s gothic scenery, reminiscent of Tim Burton’s Batman. Although frequently guilty of overexposition, League nonetheless ties a variety of classic literary heroes together in an entertaining manner. Overall, a very clever action film.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
PG-13
3 stars
Directed by Tim Johnson and Patrick Gilmore
Starring Brad Pitt, Catherine Zeta Jones
After years of making trouble for himself, Sinbad finds trouble has been made for him when he is framed for stealing “The Book of Peace”. He is asked to retrieve the book in exchange for the life of his best friend, Proteus, but declines. Proteus’ fiancée stows away on Sinbad’s ship, forcing him to complete his mission, which is further complicated by the involvement of the Goddess of Chaos.
A very pretty animated feature with a very conventional story. Grownups may or may not be charmed by the 1940s b-movie dialogue, while kids will probably just enjoy seeing swashes buckled.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
R
3 stars
Directed by Jonathan Mostow
Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Nick Stahl, Claire Daines
Years have passed since the originally projected date for “Judgment Day,” but John Connor continues to live “off the grid” in anticipation of SkyNet’s conquest of the world’s military systems. When a T-101 terminator returns, he fears for the worst.
James Cameron does not helm this Terminator, and while this effect is strongly felt, it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Although it has a smaller budget and thus fewer special effects, T3 lives up to the challenge put by its predecessors by delivering a decent story and a very unconventional ending for an action film.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
PG-13
3 stars
Directed by Gore Verbinski
Starring Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom
Pirate captain Jack Sparrow steals a ship in hopes of catching the pirate crew that stole his own ship, The Black Pearl. However, a horrible curse has befallen his former crew, turning them into undead creatures in search of a means of reversing their fate.
Johnny Depp is fun to watch as the pirate captain, and his scenes opposite Geoffrey Rush are among some of the best in the movie. The special effects might be too frightening for small children, but Pirates should be lots of fun for everyone else.
From Justin to Kelly
PG
1 star
Directed by Robert Iscove
Starring Justin Guarini and Kelly Clarkson
Kelly’s friends rescue her to head for spring break in Miami while Justin is headed that way with a group of friends from Pennsylvania to search for a girl he met on the Internet. When Justin and Kelly meet, it’s love at first sight, but Justin loses her number and one of her friends is gunning for him.
Completely awful. Not just boring and insipid, the makers of FJTK also ar e a day late and a dollar short, as last year’s “American Idols” are also yesterday’s news.
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde
PG-13
2 stars
Directed By Charles Herman-Wurmfeld
Starring Reese Witherspoon, Sally Fields
Elle Woods is a rising star in her law firm, until she discovers that one of the firm’s clients is using her dog Bruiser’s relatives as cosmetic test subjects. When she objects, she’s fired and decides to take the fight to the nation’s capitol, where she finds an ally in Congresswoman Victoria Rudd (Sally Fields).
Audiences that haven’t seen the original Legally Blonde may be at an advantage, as this sequel plays out so similarly to the first. Perhaps too similarly, as we don’t get to see Elle progress from where her character is at in the first film. Though not with out its funny moments, Blonde runs too much like a TV sitcom to really compete with either its predecessor, or your moviegoing dollars.
Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle
PG-13
3 stars
Directed by McG
Starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu
When two wedding bands containing the database of participants in the Witness Protection Program are stolen, the angels are called in to kick ass and look cute. In the process, they meet up with their deadliest foe yet: a former angel gone bad.
More action, more cameos, more outfits, more EVERYTHING. Full Throttle’s only problem is that it might have too much of a good thing, leaving the viewer a little tuckered out after it’s over. That being said, it would be very difficult for anyone to see this film and feel like they didn’t get $10-worth of fun.
Finding Nemo
4 stars
G
Starring Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres
Marlin, a skittish clown fish, loses his entire family in an unfortunate underwater incident save his son, Nemo. When a scuba diving dentist takes Nemo home to his office fish tank, Marlin sets off to rescue him.
Pixar hits another one out of the park. The vastness of the ocean provides ample opportunities for Pixar’s CG artists to play. The ample eye-candy serves to support, not distract from, the clever story and charming characters.
