Mamma Mia! - 3 1/2 smiles

How can you watch a film with 2 dozen or so ABBA songs and not tap your toe and sing along? “Mamma Mia!” is pure fun. If you’ve seen the play, you know the story: Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to marry Sky (Dominic Cooper). Raised by single mother Donna (Meryl Streep) on a Greek Island, Sophie has never known her father. After reading her mother’s diary, she has discovered three possible candidates: Sam (Pierce Brosnan), Harry (Colin Firth), and Bill (Stellan Skarsgård). Sophie invites all three to her wedding and the fun begins after they arrive.

Much of the pleasure of “Mamma Mia!” is listening to the impressive cast sing, especially Meryl Streep. Is there anything this actress can’t do? Christine Baranski has fun with “Does Your Mother Know” and Julie Walters entertains with “Take a Chance on Me.” Even Pierce Brosnan does a credible job with “SOS.” An especially lively number is “Dancing Queen,” where all the women in the village join in. And a highlight comes with the end credits as Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgård, dressed in 70s ABBA costumes, sing another song. “Mamma Mia! Is bright, happy, and crackling with energy. You’ll have as much fun watching this movie as the cast seems to have making it. Of course, if you’re not an ABBA fan, stay away. 7/18/08

Live and Become - 3 1/2 smiles

“Live and Become,” based on the exodus of Ethiopian Jews to Israel, is a powerful investigation of the struggles of cultural and personal identity. In 1985 Israel secretly launched Operation Moses, airlifting thousands of persecuted Ethiopian Jews (known as Falashas) from Sudan to Israel. A Falasha widow takes a Christian boy with her after her son dies. The boy, renamed Schlomo, is soon orphaned when his second ‘mother’ dies. A confused Schlomo (played at various ages by Moshe Agazai, Mosche Abebe, and Sirak M. Sabahat), guilt-ridden and angry at leaving his real mother behind, finds a stable home with an adoptive French-Israeli couple. Of course, Schlomo faces prejudice at school and the world at large as he struggles to learn the language and customs that are supposed to be a part of his heritage. His deception deepens when he falls in love with Sarah (Roni Hader), a white Jew and must contend with her racist father. Years later when they marry, Schlomo must reveal the truth behind his identity and find his place in the world if he is to fulfill his mother’s wish: Live and become.

“Live and Become,” an intimate look into a little known chapter in Israel’s history, also reveals the prejudices that exist among black and white Jews. It is both a love story and an inspirational tale of an individual’s search for peace within an unfamiliar and frightening environment. 7/24/08)

Tell No One - 3 1/2 smiles

“Tell No One,” adapted by French director Guillaume Canet from Harlan Coben’s best seller, is a complicated, intelligent and engaging thriller. Eight years after the murder of his wife, doctor Alex Beck (Francois Cluzet) receives an email from an unknown source. The message contains a real time video image of a woman that Alex is convinced is his wife. In the meantime, the police have circumstantial evidence implicating Alex in another murder. Because the events eight years ago still haunt Alex, he investigates the mysterious woman in the video and in doing so, uncovers a string of secrets that endanger his life.

An American film adaptation of Coben’s novel would have added more action and simplified the story. For whatever reason, US film studios underestimate audience intelligence. [Or maybe not. After all, consider “Step Brothers.”] To be sure, “Tell No One” demands that you pay attention. Much of what happened to Alex eight years ago is told in several flashbacks and the director counts on his audience being able to put all of the puzzle pieces together. Francois Cluzet, resembling a young Dustin Hoffman, has an intensity that pulls you into his character and holds the film together. “Tell No One” is about one man’s search for the truth. And it is a journey you will enjoy taking. (7/18/08)

Step Brothers - 1 frown

Nothing is worse to sit through than a comedy that doesn’t work; “Step Brothers” is such a movie. To call this rude, crude, and silly film a comedy is doing a disservice to the genre. And although Will Farrell and John C. Reilly seem to be putting a lot of effort into their roles, “Step Brothers” is an unpleasant mess. Skip it. 7/27/08

Journey to the Center of the Earth - 2 smiles

“Journey to the Center of the Earth” has one gimmick – digital 3-D technology, generating what amounts to a 90-minute E-ticket ride. Of course, there’s plenty of special effects eye candy, but there’s not much plot or character development. This version is not really based on Jules Verne’s novel. Instead, the characters in this movie - Professor Trevor Anderson (Brendan Fraser); his nephew, Sean (Josh Hutcherson); and their mountain guide, Hannah (Anita Briem) – use Vern’s novel as a guide as they travel to the top of a mountain in Iceland that reveals tunnels leading deep beneath the Earth's surface. Below, they discover a prehistoric world where dinosaurs and man-eating plants exist. But the trio must find a way to escape before the lava at the earth’s core explodes.

Ultimately, “Journey to the Center of the Earth” is about visuals so plot and characters are secondary. This is all about making the world at the center of the earth come alive and jump out of the screen at the audience. The 3-D work is effective, but after 30 minutes it becomes redundant. Director Eric Brevig seems to have forgotten that at the heart of every good movie is an intriguing narrative and engaging characters. Special effects alone aren't enough. 7/14/08

Hellboy II: The Golden Army - 3 smiles

“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” is not for everyone; however, if you liked director Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth,” you might want to give this movie a try. The first half of the movie focuses on the “family” of misfits working for the US government in a secret FBI installation. There’s Red (Ron Perlman), a demon who keeps his horns filed down to flat nubs. His love Liz (Selma Blair) can transform herself into a human torch. Abe Sapien (Doug Jones) is a smart amphibian and newcomer Johann Kraus (James Donn) is a creature consisting of smoke and gas. The villain is the elf Prince Nuada (Luke Gross), who seeks to recover the three pieces of a crown that, when assembled, will give him control of the Golden Army, hundreds of unstoppable, indestructible warriors. Nuada will then vanquish humanity and regain control of earth. His twin sister, Nuala (Anna Walton), who opposes his quest, and her piece of the crown fall under the protection of Hellboy and his friends and they find themselves involved in a battle to save mankind.

“Hellboy II” is more fantasy adventure than superhero tale. One of the film’s more interesting sequences is a visit to the “Troll’s Market,” where trolls, goblins, elves, and elementals come to life. It’s not hard to see why Peter Jackson selected del Toro to helm “The Hobbit.” However, there are a few plot holes that damage the integrity of the film, but these come to light in conversations that happen afterward. Nonetheless, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” is solid entertainment. 7/17/08

Hancock - 2 1/2 smiles

If you like Will Smith, you’ll like “Hancock.” And although the premise is interesting, the story becomes so muddled about half way through that all you’re left with is an engaging performance by Smith. Hancock (Smith) is an alcoholic, antisocial superhero who stopped caring about humanity long ago. His heroic deeds, such as catching bad guys, result in such horrific collateral damage that the DA wants him behind bars and he’s being sued by just about everyone in the city. When Hancock saves Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman) from a train, Ray decides that all Hancock needs is an image makeover, which includes a prison stint, rehab, a shave and a superhero costume. Meanwhile, there seems to be a connection between Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron) and Hancock.

The first half of the film is more engaging – the tale of a superhero, who needs an attitude adjustment, learning to be, well, a superhero, a defender of truth, justice, and the American way. The second half, however, is a disjointed story about Hancock’s origins that seems to be part of a different movie. The villain isn’t even an integral part of the plot; he’s tossed in at the last minute because the director realized that he needed a bad guy for Hancock to fight. And the twist that concerns Charlize Theron’s character isn’t really a surprise. Will Smith’s charisma is the strongest element in “Hancock” and results in a moderately enjoyable movie-going experience. 7/3/08

The Wackness - 1 1/2 smiles

At one point in “The Wackness,” Stephanie (Olivia Thrilby) tells Luke (Josh Peck), "It doesn't matter." That’s what I felt about the whole movie. And when you don’t care about the characters or the situation they find themselves in, how can you care about the movie? Written and directed by Jonathan Levine, “The Wackness” boasts an eclectic cast: Ben Kingsley, Famke Janssen, and Mary-Kate Olsen along with Thrilby and Peck. That’s about the only positive comment I can make. Set during the summer of 1994, “The Wackness” is about a young drug dealer, Luke Shapiro (Peck), who has just graduated from high school. Dr. Squires (Kingsley) is a low-life psychiatrist who gives Josh advice in exchange for the grass that Josh peddles. To complicate matters, Josh has a crush on Squire’s stepdaughter, Stephanie. Bottom line, “The Wackness” is about Josh and Stephanie’s summer fling. This movie tries way too hard to be hip, but does anyone care? (6/6/08)

Wall-E - 4 smiles

“Wall-E” is an amazing movie, full of life, love, wonder, and meaning, an animated film that adults can see alone or with children. Written and directed by Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”), “Wall-E” has a solid story, strong characters, and subtle messages. Set 700 years in the future, the movie opens with a hazy view of an abandoned city and a solitary figure moving around. A closer look reveals a robot, Wall-E (Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth Class), a little worse for wear, completing his prime directive: scoop up trash, compact it into cubes, and stack the cubes. Towering trash skyscrapers loom in the background, evidence of Wall-E’s dedication. During this 700 year period, Wall-E has developed a consciousness and as he scoops up the trash, he saves items that catch his fancy: a Rubik’s cube, a spork, a Zippo lighter, an egg beater, a plant. He also has a pet cockroach and a VHS copy of “Hello, Dolly” that he watches over and over. One day a huge space ship lands, depositing Eve (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), a robot whose job is to find signs of life on Earth. For Wall-E, it’s love at first sight, but Eve is no pushover. Wall-E tries to win her with his various treasures and only when he shows her the plant does she react. She takes the plant and shuts down. Alarmed, Wall-E does everything he can to revive her and when that fails, sets out to watch over her. When the space ship returns for her, Wall-E hitches a ride and we discover what has happened to the humans who abandoned Earth.

Central to “Wall-E” is the romance between these two robots. Neither has a real face nor do they speak anything more than a metallic approximation of their names. However, we grow to care about Wall-E and Eve as much as any flesh and blood couple. To watch these two interact is part of the pleasure of this movie and full credit goes to the creative genius of Andrew Stanton in collaboration with Ben Burtt’s inspired sounds. Even though there is no dialogue for the first 45 minutes, we understand that Wall-E is curious, that he is lonely, that he is first afraid of Eve and then enamored of her. We see Eve as initially focused on her job, but she’s also exasperated with him when she discovers that he has stowed away and is creating havoc. And finally, she fears for his safety as the situation aboard the ship suddenly turns ominous. And “Wall-E” also manages to convey a few cautionary warnings. It’s not going to be global warming that creates an apocalyptic event, but a consumption-based society where pollution runs unchecked. And the human race must never become so lazy that robots do everything for them. “Wall-E” is a most compelling film, full of fun and magic and at its heart, a robot that falls in love. It’s a definite must see. (6/27/08)

Wanted - 2 1/2 smiles

The protagonist in “Wanted,” Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), is so unlikable it’s hard to care what happens to him. And in a movie that focuses not on characterization but on adrenalin-pumping action, that’s a puzzle. As we learn in an introductory voice-over, Wesley’s life is stuck: a dead-end job with a bullying boss and a girlfriend who is cheating on him with his best friend. It can’t get any worse and we’re supposed to feel sorry for him. Worse, we’re supposed to identify with him. (If this works, you’ll like the movie; if it doesn’t, you won’t.) Enter Fox (Angelina Jolie) who tells Wesley that his father, a member of a guild of assassins called The Fraternity, has been killed and Wesley is needed to go after the killer. After a series of sadistic training sessions, Wesley has been transformed from dweeb to kick-butt assassin. He can slow down time enough to shoot the wings off flies and curve the trajectory of a bullet (presumably to shoot around corners). Hotshot Wesley performs his training assassinations with aplomb, not seeming to care if there is collateral damage in the form of innocent bystanders. When Sloan (Morgan Freeman), the leader of The Fraternity, directs Wesley to go after his father’s killer, he is ready. And woe be to those who get in his way.

The slender McAvoy is an unusual choice to play this smug gun-toting assassin. It’s like casting Dustin Hoffman to play Neo in “The Matrix.” He just doesn’t fit. Jolie, beautiful as ever, plays Fox with a sly smile and lots of sex appeal. And, as it turns out, Fox is the only character who believes in the moral code of the guild – murder for the benefit of mankind, not for personal gain. Morgan Freeman, as usual, is effective. The action is outrageous, loud, and almost nonstop and there is enough blood, exploding heads, and flailing bodies to satisfy the most voyeuristic fan. “Wanted” is like cotton candy – fluffy, perhaps enjoyable at the time, but, ultimately, empty calories. (6/28/08)