HORTON HEARS A WHO

Pictures courtesy of 20th Century Fox

An elephant believes he hears voices coming from a speck of dust in the big-screen version of HORTON HEARS A WHO. The film is based on the popular Dr Seuss short story of the same title. Dead-set on protecting the speck, Horton, a large, but lovable elephant, plans on delivering the speck, carrying an entire community of individuals known as “Whos” to the highest peak in the jungle. Unfortunately for Norton, other jungle wildlife would like to prove him wrong and will try to stop him and his speck from reaching their destination.

Silly, smart and sweet are words I often associate with Dr Seuss’s works, and each of these attributes is wonderfully abundant in the big-screen adaptation of HORTON HEARS A WHO. The central character in each of Dr. Seuss’s works is the driving force, and HORTON is no different. The enormous pachyderm is one of the most likable children’s characters to hit the screen in quite some time, and is also incredibly goofy, honest and determined. Jim Carrey voices Horton, and despite some ad libbing at times, restrains from going overboard, and brings life and a lovable nature to the big guy. The rest of the high profile voice talent is also good. Steve Carrell’s unique voice is appropriately quirky as the Mayor of Whoville, and Carol Burnett provides a terrifically twisted voice performance as an overly skeptical Kangaroo mom. Not only is HORTON HEARS A WHO true to Seuss’s characters, it also remains true to its verse. In its own poetic way, such lines as “A meant what I said, and I said what I meant, an elephant’s faithful one-hundred percent” and “A person’s a person no matter how small”, are refreshing from a literally standpoint, but also lend this charming picture even more assistance. HORTON HEARS A WHO is a wonderful example of Seuss on-screen.

Grade: B+

FUNNY GAMES (U.S.)

Pictures courtesy of Warner Independent Pictures

Writer-director Michael Haneke remakes his own European horror film for the states with FUNNY GAMES. Billed as FUNNY GAMES (US), the film is a supposedly shot-by-shot remake of Haneke’s horror film from 1997. FUNNY GAMES follows two privileged young men who find pleasure in torturing well-to-do, vacationing families. The two men, Paul and Peter, find their next victims with Ann, George and their son George, Junior.

FUNNY GAMES is not an easy film to watch, but it’s also not a film that’s easy to turn away from. I have a strong feeling this is exactly what Haneke was shooting for. The film has been tagged as the latest torture porn film, but by my standards, it’s a cut above the genre. I’m not sure any pleasure is to be derived from FUNNY GAMES violent acts, but a sense of terror, intrigue and suspense is existent for much of the film. Its not until the film’s latter third, that Haneke’s directorial choices seem as if he’s playing “funny games” with his audience. A few techniques Haneke utilizes seem intent on manipulating our emotions and reactions simply for the sake of manipulation. While I can appreciate toying with the conventions of the genre, it seems as if something more substantial should come from it. It’s a shame that Haneke’s experimental, but childish choices are manifested in a film with much skill. As the two antagonists, the performances by Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet are effectively eerie, and Naomi Watts is once again on the mark as the damsel in distress. FUNNY GAMES is an often uncomfortable and skillful film that is often too clever for its own good.

Grade: C+

IN BRUGES

Pictures courtesty of Focus Features

Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson flee their hometown of London following a messy assignment in the crime caper, IN BRUGES. Farrell is Ray, and Gleeson Ken, two hit men who are assigned to take a vacation in Bruges after Ray botches a killing in London. During their stay in Bruges, Ken seems intent on enjoying the scenery, while Ray just wants to return home. Their boss Harry has other ideas, but has kept the two in the dark for the time being.

Mixing elements of humor, intrigue and drama, IN BRUGES attempts to define itself outside of the ordinary expectations for a crime caper. First time writer-director Martin McDonagh crafts a well-thought out script with well-rounded leads, and in spite of a grisly finish, is ultimately rewarding. Coming on the heels of his performance in Woody Allen’s CASSANDRA’S DREAM, Farrell is again terrific. Both Allen and McDonagh allow Farrell’s characters to evolve throughout their pictures. At the beginning of IN BRUGES, Farrell reveals a brash, cocky and funny Ray, but as the screenplay exposes more and more about Ray, Farrell is allowed to dig deeper and deeper into the dark confines of his character. Gleeson is also very good, illustrating a man resigned to the fate that his profession has led him to. In addition to these performances, the city of Bruges becomes a character of its own. Whether it’s the quaint, charming and atmospheric Bruges that Ken sees, or the dull, old fashioned surroundings that Ray is tired of, we get a wonderful sense of Bruges and its citizens. IN BRUGES is a different type of crime caper, anchored with rich characters and originality.

Grade: B-

SEMI-PRO

Pictures courtesty of New Line Cinema

Will Ferrell riffs another sport in the comedy SEMI-PRO. Following up on the success of TALLADEGA NIGHTS and BLADES OF GLORY, Ferrell teams up with director Kent Altman and writer Scot Armstrong to seek laughs at the expense of the ABA, a 1970’s professional basketball league. Ferrell is Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder on the pop charts, who turns his singing success into basketball stardom. He buys the Flynt Tropics, and enlists himself as the head coach and starting power forward. The ABA is going through a financial crisis, and its competitor, the National Basketball Association has offered a buyout of the league, with the top four teams merging with the NBA. The Tropics are near the bottom of the ABA standings, but that won’t stop Moon and crew from reaching for the top.

In spite of the pulled-up tube socks, groovy 70’s soundtrack and funniest hairdos since KINGPIN, SEMI-PRO fails because it relies too heavily on its star player to deliver all of the comedic scoring. The opening moments of SEMI-PRO are its best, serving up Moon’s catchy, hilarious and vulgar number one hit, “Love Me Sexy”. If the rest of the film were written as silly and on the mark as “Love Me Sexy”, SEMI-PRO would have been a laugh-fest. Ferrell can perform in these roles in his sleep, and that appears to be what Altman and Armstrong were relying on. Although not as painfully bad as KICKING AND SCREAMING, the writing in SEMI-PRO leaves little to be desired. A certain nostalgia for the 70’s may be warranted, but many of the jokes are derived from lame references and outlandish fashions. Additional lazy scripting comes in the form of an underdeveloped and unnecessary love story between mid-season Tropic acquisition Monix, played by Woody Harrelson, and his ex-girlfriend played by Maura Tierney. SEMI-PRO doesn’t even live up to its title, attempting amateurish jokes which often miss the mark.

Grade: C-