Review: ‘Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ conjures OK fun (AP) – NIMBRUNG.NET
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 6:08 am
Hot Breaking News about Review Sorcerers Apprentice conjures OK fun AP
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If toys, video games, comics and TV cartoon specials can serve as sources for Hollywood action flicks, why not Mickey Mouse?
Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” as “suggested by the animated short” of the same name starring Mickey, may not work any bedazzling magic.
Yet the family fantasy that reunites Cage with his “National Treasure” producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub stirs up a pleasant-enough potion whose effects, action and comedy should send parents and kids home happy.
They will have to put up with the whine of Baruchel’s voice, which seems to grow more nasally as he ages.
But the often stodgy Cage, fresh from a couple of deliriously manic performances in “Kick-Ass” and “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” has rediscovered his inner goof, hamming it up as a 1,500-year-old sorcerer who can claim Merlin the magician as a mentor.
He’s still a bit stiff and self-serious, but then, centuries of futile searching for some chosen kid called the Prime Merlinian will do that to you.
The story developed by a team of five writers from the Mickey Mouse short — part of Walt Disney’s 1940 collection “Fantasia” and itself inspired by a Goethe poem — essentially is a variation of the King Arthur Chosen One tale told with wizards.
A clunky narrated prologue lays out the conflict in more detail than parents or kids are likely to want. The gist of it: Back around the 8th century, Merlin had three apprentices, lovers Balthazar Blake (Cage) and Veronica (Monica Bellucci), and Maxim (Alfred Molina), who turned rotten and sided with evil sorceress Morgana (Alice Krige) in her attempt to raise dead wizards and end the world.
Balthazar manages to put a cork in it by trapping Maxim, Morgana and unfortunately Veronica in this thing called the Grimhold, sort of a Russian nesting doll to imprison sorcerers. It’s only a temporary fix, and Balthazar sets off on a quest to find the Prime Merlinian, the successor to Merlin’s power who can destroy Morgana for good.
Cut to present-day Manhattan, where Balthazar finally has found his boy in physics geek Dave Stutler (Baruchel). With Maxim newly freed and aiming to release Morgana from the Grimhold, Balthazar’s on a tight deadline to train klutzy Dave in the tricks of the sorcery trade he’ll need to take down the baddies.
Complicating matters, Dave’s just rediscovered the love of his childhood, Becky (Teresa Palmer), and his efforts to win her over prove a distraction to his apprenticeship.
The effects and action are fine but mostly unremarkable, consisting heavily of sorcerers hurling fiery balls of plasma at one another or mad scientist Dave zapping arcs of lightning around in his lab.
The filmmakers cleverly recreate the scenario of Goethe’s poem and Mickey cartoon’s in a sequence where Dave brings an army of mops to life in a misguided attempt to save time on cleaning chores.
Baruchel’s twangy voice aside, he and Cage forge an engaging student-teacher relationship, while Molina’s dapper villain routine adds some class. Bellucci’s role is little more than a walk-on, but Toby Kebbell grabs some laughs as a stagy protege to Maxim.
Cage, Turteltaub and Bruckheimer clearly are aiming to create another “National Treasure”-style franchise to feed the family action comedy market.
Are there big laughs and great action in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”? No, but it’s a fairly fun time for families, and Hollywood can — and continually does — build franchises out of far worse concoctions than this.
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” a Walt Disney release, is rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language. Running time: 110 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
___
Read the whole hot breaking news about Review Sorcerers Apprentice conjures OK fun AP on Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel’s “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” as “suggested by the animated short” of the same name starring Mickey, may not work any bedazzling magic.
Yet the family fantasy that reunites Cage with his “National Treasure” producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Jon Turteltaub stirs up a pleasant-enough potion whose effects, action and comedy should send parents and kids home happy.
They will have to put up with the whine of Baruchel’s voice, which seems to grow more nasally as he ages.
But the often stodgy Cage, fresh from a couple of deliriously manic performances in “Kick-Ass” and “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” has rediscovered his inner goof, hamming it up as a 1,500-year-old sorcerer who can claim Merlin the magician as a mentor.
He’s still a bit stiff and self-serious, but then, centuries of futile searching for some chosen kid called the Prime Merlinian will do that to you.
The story developed by a team of five writers from the Mickey Mouse short — part of Walt Disney’s 1940 collection “Fantasia” and itself inspired by a Goethe poem — essentially is a variation of the King Arthur Chosen One tale told with wizards.
A clunky narrated prologue lays out the conflict in more detail than parents or kids are likely to want. The gist of it: Back around the 8th century, Merlin had three apprentices, lovers Balthazar Blake (Cage) and Veronica (Monica Bellucci), and Maxim (Alfred Molina), who turned rotten and sided with evil sorceress Morgana (Alice Krige) in her attempt to raise dead wizards and end the world.
Balthazar manages to put a cork in it by trapping Maxim, Morgana and unfortunately Veronica in this thing called the Grimhold, sort of a Russian nesting doll to imprison sorcerers. It’s only a temporary fix, and Balthazar sets off on a quest to find the Prime Merlinian, the successor to Merlin’s power who can destroy Morgana for good.
Cut to present-day Manhattan, where Balthazar finally has found his boy in physics geek Dave Stutler (Baruchel). With Maxim newly freed and aiming to release Morgana from the Grimhold, Balthazar’s on a tight deadline to train klutzy Dave in the tricks of the sorcery trade he’ll need to take down the baddies.
Complicating matters, Dave’s just rediscovered the love of his childhood, Becky (Teresa Palmer), and his efforts to win her over prove a distraction to his apprenticeship.
The effects and action are fine but mostly unremarkable, consisting heavily of sorcerers hurling fiery balls of plasma at one another or mad scientist Dave zapping arcs of lightning around in his lab.
The filmmakers cleverly recreate the scenario of Goethe’s poem and Mickey cartoon’s in a sequence where Dave brings an army of mops to life in a misguided attempt to save time on cleaning chores.
Baruchel’s twangy voice aside, he and Cage forge an engaging student-teacher relationship, while Molina’s dapper villain routine adds some class. Bellucci’s role is little more than a walk-on, but Toby Kebbell grabs some laughs as a stagy protege to Maxim.
Cage, Turteltaub and Bruckheimer clearly are aiming to create another “National Treasure”-style franchise to feed the family action comedy market.
Are there big laughs and great action in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”? No, but it’s a fairly fun time for families, and Hollywood can — and continually does — build franchises out of far worse concoctions than this.
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” a Walt Disney release, is rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language. Running time: 110 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G — General audiences. All ages admitted.
PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
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Review: ‘Despicable Me’ is cool-looking but slight (AP) – NIMBRUNG.NET
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Hot Breaking News about Review Despicable Me is cool looking but slight AP yahoo.com
Despite some clever moments and colorful characters, “Despicable Me” could have been called “Forgettable Me” instead.
It has a pleasingly off-kilter look about it — the work of a French animation house — a strong voice cast led by Steve Carell as the bumbling bad guy Gru and a delightfully cruel sense of humor. It’s actually darker and odder than most family-friendly animated fare, and that’s a good thing — until it goes predictably soft and gooey at the end, that is.
But what’s mainly missing from this first animated 3-D offering from Universal is story. There’s just nothing to “Despicable Me,” and that becomes glaringly obvious when you compare it to this summer’s “Toy Story 3″ in particular and Pixar movies in general, where story is paramount.
Here, the look of the film is what makes it stand out amid the glut of summer cartoons. The characters are cute in their weirdness, down to Gru’s shaggy, growling dog. Even the trio of spunky orphans crucial to Gru’s latest diabolical plan — Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) — are adorable in an unusual way.
The scene-stealers, though, are the Minions: tiny, yellow, pill-shaped creatures with one eye and sometimes two who carry out Gru’s evil deeds. At least, they try. But they’re also super-cute: bouncing around, reveling in mischief and babbling to each other in their own gibberish. If “Despicable Me” had come out closer to Christmas, Minions probably would have made great stocking stuffers.
The movie starts out promisingly enough, though. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud and written by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (from a story by Sergio Pablos), it moves along breezily with slapstick energy and a multitude of sight gags.
The heavyset Gru, with his hunched carriage, indeterminate Eastern European accent and environmentally unfriendly vehicle, hatches a plan to steal the moon. Who cares that doing so will throw Earth out of whack? He figures this is the best way to compete with Vector (Jason Segel), a hyperactive, up-and-coming villain whose retro-cool lair resembles a boutique hotel.
But Vector has the shrink ray Gru needs to zap the moon down to a manageable size, so he adopts the trio of plucky young orphans and sends them into the house under the guise of selling cookies as a means of gaining access. He also gets some vague help back at his own evil-doing compound from his elderly assistant, Dr. Nefario, whose hearing problems lead to some unfortunate mix-ups. (Russell Brand voices the character in a surprisingly understated way, which isn’t the best use of his comic persona.)
Naturally, the girls will melt Gru’s icy heart, especially as it becomes more apparent (through a series of sweetly sad flashbacks) that his villainy is a reaction to his impossible-to-please mother (voiced with perfect dismissiveness by Julie Andrews). That much is obvious from a mile away, so the final-act threats to keep them apart don’t seem quite so menacing.
“Despicable Me” throws everything it’s got at us, though — sometimes literally. The 3-D gimmick of flinging stuff at the audience gets played up for knowing laughs here, especially during the closing credits. Kids will dig it, adults will smile with amusement, and no one will be any different afterward than they were walking into the theater.
“Despicable Me,” a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG for rude humor and mild action. In 2-D and 3-D. Running time: 95 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G — General audiences. All ages admitted.
PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.
Read the whole hot breaking news about Review Despicable Me is cool looking but slight AP on It has a pleasingly off-kilter look about it — the work of a French animation house — a strong voice cast led by Steve Carell as the bumbling bad guy Gru and a delightfully cruel sense of humor. It’s actually darker and odder than most family-friendly animated fare, and that’s a good thing — until it goes predictably soft and gooey at the end, that is.
But what’s mainly missing from this first animated 3-D offering from Universal is story. There’s just nothing to “Despicable Me,” and that becomes glaringly obvious when you compare it to this summer’s “Toy Story 3″ in particular and Pixar movies in general, where story is paramount.
Here, the look of the film is what makes it stand out amid the glut of summer cartoons. The characters are cute in their weirdness, down to Gru’s shaggy, growling dog. Even the trio of spunky orphans crucial to Gru’s latest diabolical plan — Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) — are adorable in an unusual way.
The scene-stealers, though, are the Minions: tiny, yellow, pill-shaped creatures with one eye and sometimes two who carry out Gru’s evil deeds. At least, they try. But they’re also super-cute: bouncing around, reveling in mischief and babbling to each other in their own gibberish. If “Despicable Me” had come out closer to Christmas, Minions probably would have made great stocking stuffers.
The movie starts out promisingly enough, though. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud and written by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (from a story by Sergio Pablos), it moves along breezily with slapstick energy and a multitude of sight gags.
The heavyset Gru, with his hunched carriage, indeterminate Eastern European accent and environmentally unfriendly vehicle, hatches a plan to steal the moon. Who cares that doing so will throw Earth out of whack? He figures this is the best way to compete with Vector (Jason Segel), a hyperactive, up-and-coming villain whose retro-cool lair resembles a boutique hotel.
But Vector has the shrink ray Gru needs to zap the moon down to a manageable size, so he adopts the trio of plucky young orphans and sends them into the house under the guise of selling cookies as a means of gaining access. He also gets some vague help back at his own evil-doing compound from his elderly assistant, Dr. Nefario, whose hearing problems lead to some unfortunate mix-ups. (Russell Brand voices the character in a surprisingly understated way, which isn’t the best use of his comic persona.)
Naturally, the girls will melt Gru’s icy heart, especially as it becomes more apparent (through a series of sweetly sad flashbacks) that his villainy is a reaction to his impossible-to-please mother (voiced with perfect dismissiveness by Julie Andrews). That much is obvious from a mile away, so the final-act threats to keep them apart don’t seem quite so menacing.
“Despicable Me” throws everything it’s got at us, though — sometimes literally. The 3-D gimmick of flinging stuff at the audience gets played up for knowing laughs here, especially during the closing credits. Kids will dig it, adults will smile with amusement, and no one will be any different afterward than they were walking into the theater.
“Despicable Me,” a Universal Pictures release, is rated PG for rude humor and mild action. In 2-D and 3-D. Running time: 95 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G — General audiences. All ages admitted.
PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.
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New Afghan war commander appeals for unity (AFP) – NIMBRUNG.NET
Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 2:07 pm
Hot Breaking News about New Afghan war commander appeals for unity AFPRead the whole hot breaking news about New Afghan war commander appeals for unity AFP on yahoo.com
KABUL (AFP) –
US General David Petraeus appealed Saturday for a united effort to end almost nine years of war against the Taliban as he made his public debut as the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan.
The four-star general, who arrived in the Afghan capital on Friday, faces a tough task to bring peace and secure a face-saving exit for allied troops fighting an increasingly deadly insurgency by the hardline Islamists.
“This is an effort in which we must achieve unity of effort and common purpose. Civilian and military, Afghan and international, we are part of one team with one mission,” Petraeus said at the US embassy in Kabul.
“On this important endeavour, co-operation is not optional,” Petraeus added.
Petraeus, who took over as commander of the 140,000 US and NATO troops in Afghanistan after the sacking of US General Stanley McChrystal, has said the war is likely to get tougher before significant improvements are seen.
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Review: ‘Restrepo’ presents agonizing war closeup (AP) – NIMBRUNG.NET
Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Hot Breaking News about Review Restrepo presents agonizing war closeup AP yahoo.com
The war on terror has been a tricky subject for dramatic filmmakers, with “The Hurt Locker” the one exceptional fictional film that managed to find an audience.
The great films about combat in Iraq and Afghanistan mostly have been documentaries, and “Restrepo” continues that track record with an intimate portrait of a platoon’s tour of duty that’s disturbing, rattling and heartbreaking in its immediacy.
“Restrepo” directors Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger dug in with a U.S. Army platoon of the 173rd Airborne Brigade during much of its 15-month deployment in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, which the filmmakers describe as one of the most dangerous military postings.
Hetherington, a veteran war photographer, and journalist Junger, whose books include best-seller “The Perfect Storm,” wisely follow “The Hurt Locker” formula and leave politics aside, taking no stance on the war other than to show the daily lives of the people fighting it.
“Restrepo” unfolds with an objective yet impassioned voice, the soldiers’ actions, words, loyalty, even their horseplay combining for an unforgettable chronicle of fraternity under fire.
And the men are constantly under fire — sometimes as often as three or four times a day. Hetherington and Junger’s cameras reveal the assaults in frightening detail as the platoon fires back to repel attacks with matter-of-fact resolution.
One scene, almost unbearable to watch, captures the terrible outpouring of emotion after a comrade is killed. Such agonizing images bring home the war in a way no news report or fictionalized drama ever could.
There are moments that seem trivially absurd on the surface, such as the platoon’s negotiations with local Afghan residents over reparations for a cow killed after becoming entangled in an outpost fence.
The absurdity quickly fades as Afghan faces register dissatisfaction at the compensation offered and distrust of the American soldiers trying to broker the deal.
If such small matters can be cause for tension and discord, imagine the awful task of U.S. officers trying to explain to Afghan families how American artillery wound up killing and wounding innocent villagers. “Restrepo” presents such encounters as yet another example of the terrible tightrope American troops must walk as they try to fight the Taliban without turning more of the locals against the United States.
The grim narrative is intensified by the backdrop of the stark mountain terrain surrounding them. Hetherington and Junger’s images are both bleakly beautiful and claustrophobic, demonstrating the awesome yet narrow spaces in which the soldiers lived more than a year of their lives.
“Restrepo” deservedly won the top documentary prize at January’s Sundance Film Festival. The film takes its title from the name of the outpost where the platoon spends most of its tour, which in turn was named after PFC Juan Restrepo, a medic killed in action early in the deployment.
In conversations during the deployment and interviews after returning to their base in Italy, platoon members plaintively recall their fallen comrades and ponder if any good came out of their sacrifice. None have any answers, but their recollections reveal one certainty: Whatever nations might fight for, these men are fighting for one another.
“Restrepo,” a National Geographic release, is rated R for language throughout including some descriptions of violence. Running time: 94 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G — General audiences. All ages admitted.
PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
Read the whole hot breaking news about Review Restrepo presents agonizing war closeup AP on The great films about combat in Iraq and Afghanistan mostly have been documentaries, and “Restrepo” continues that track record with an intimate portrait of a platoon’s tour of duty that’s disturbing, rattling and heartbreaking in its immediacy.
“Restrepo” directors Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger dug in with a U.S. Army platoon of the 173rd Airborne Brigade during much of its 15-month deployment in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley, which the filmmakers describe as one of the most dangerous military postings.
Hetherington, a veteran war photographer, and journalist Junger, whose books include best-seller “The Perfect Storm,” wisely follow “The Hurt Locker” formula and leave politics aside, taking no stance on the war other than to show the daily lives of the people fighting it.
“Restrepo” unfolds with an objective yet impassioned voice, the soldiers’ actions, words, loyalty, even their horseplay combining for an unforgettable chronicle of fraternity under fire.
And the men are constantly under fire — sometimes as often as three or four times a day. Hetherington and Junger’s cameras reveal the assaults in frightening detail as the platoon fires back to repel attacks with matter-of-fact resolution.
One scene, almost unbearable to watch, captures the terrible outpouring of emotion after a comrade is killed. Such agonizing images bring home the war in a way no news report or fictionalized drama ever could.
There are moments that seem trivially absurd on the surface, such as the platoon’s negotiations with local Afghan residents over reparations for a cow killed after becoming entangled in an outpost fence.
The absurdity quickly fades as Afghan faces register dissatisfaction at the compensation offered and distrust of the American soldiers trying to broker the deal.
If such small matters can be cause for tension and discord, imagine the awful task of U.S. officers trying to explain to Afghan families how American artillery wound up killing and wounding innocent villagers. “Restrepo” presents such encounters as yet another example of the terrible tightrope American troops must walk as they try to fight the Taliban without turning more of the locals against the United States.
The grim narrative is intensified by the backdrop of the stark mountain terrain surrounding them. Hetherington and Junger’s images are both bleakly beautiful and claustrophobic, demonstrating the awesome yet narrow spaces in which the soldiers lived more than a year of their lives.
“Restrepo” deservedly won the top documentary prize at January’s Sundance Film Festival. The film takes its title from the name of the outpost where the platoon spends most of its tour, which in turn was named after PFC Juan Restrepo, a medic killed in action early in the deployment.
In conversations during the deployment and interviews after returning to their base in Italy, platoon members plaintively recall their fallen comrades and ponder if any good came out of their sacrifice. None have any answers, but their recollections reveal one certainty: Whatever nations might fight for, these men are fighting for one another.
“Restrepo,” a National Geographic release, is rated R for language throughout including some descriptions of violence. Running time: 94 minutes. Three and a half stars out of four.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G — General audiences. All ages admitted.
PG — Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
PG-13 — Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
R — Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
NC-17 — No one under 17 admitted.
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Review: `SATC2′ indulges in style over substance (AP) – NIMBRUNG.NET
Monday, May 24th, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Hot Breaking News about Review SATC28242 indulges in style over substance AP yahoo.com
“Sex and the City 2″ is so over-the-top ridiculous, it plays like a parody of what a sequel to the 2008 hit movie would be. You can just imagine how the brainstorming sessions might have gone:
“I know, let’s send the ladies to Abu Dhabi! We can dress them in outrageous costumes and put them on camels in the middle of the desert and Charlotte can search frantically for a cell-phone signal! Carrie can wear some oversized hat, and Samantha can shock all the Arab men with her signature brand of in-your-face sexuality! And Miranda … well, we’ll find something for her to do.”
“Of course, we’ll have to play Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ `Empire State of Mind’ at some point. I mean, it’s so obvious — people will be expecting it.”
“Doing it right off the top, over the opening titles.”
“Perfect. But wait, we need to include Liza Minnelli somehow. Surely we can’t ship her out to the Middle East …”
“How about this: We stage a gay wedding, and not only will Liza officiate the ceremony, she’ll also sing Beyonce’s `Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’ AND do the dance.”
“Genius!” (High five!)
Minnelli does indeed sing the song and do the dance, and it’s so painful to watch, it will make you want to scratch your eyes out of your head.
It’s a perfect example of so much that goes wrong with “Sex and the City 2″: It’s self-indulgent, way too long and never as clever or funny as it’s intended to be.
Writer-director Michael Patrick King and Co. found a balance of substance and style with the long-running, hugely popular HBO series. Even the original “Sex and the City” movie, for all its fashionable splashiness, still managed to be about something: the way the characters adapted as they morphed from single party girls into women building families for themselves. (Except for Samantha, of course, who’s always been on the prowl, despite having a more serious boyfriend from time to time.)
But the sequel too often feels like a series of lavish set pieces with sporadic discussions about careers, marriage and babies in between (although one of those talks, between Charlotte and Miranda about the realities of motherhood, is the purest moment in the movie).
Much of the shtick has long since gotten old. Carrie’s running voiceover, the structural thread all along, feels intrusive and pat. Charlotte’s cutesy prudishness seems an ill fit on a married mother of two. And Samantha’s corny puns reach a new low, as evidenced by her reference to a hot, globe-trotting architect she meets in the desert as “Lawrence of my labia.” It’s seriously cringe-inducing.
For fans of the show, though, the comfort of the familiarity will still be a huge draw — seeing Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker, who’s also a producer), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) on the big screen again. But the story simply isn’t there, even with a running time of nearly two and a half hours. (Yes, you read that right.)
Carrie and Big (Chris Noth) have been married for two years now, and they’re trying to avoid falling into staid domesticity. Miranda, married to Steve (David Eigenberg) with a son in Brooklyn, has a jerk of a new boss who’s making her miserable at the law firm. Charlotte has a comfortable life with husband Harry (Evan Handler) but she’s finding being a mother isn’t as idyllic as she’d dreamed. And Samantha is trying to fight off menopause by swallowing handfuls of vitamins every day.
But she also gets a gig doing PR for a luxurious resort in Abu Dhabi, so naturally she invites her girlfriends along for the adventure. This is basically an excuse to dress the foursome in exquisite jewel tones (the work of the famous costume designer Patricia Field, as always) and trot them through upscale hotel rooms, restaurants and bars.
(Saying much more would give away spoilers. Let’s just say some characters make decisions that are so needlessly self-destructive, they’re infuriating.)
Even though it’s supposed to be a fantasy, all this excess clangs — given the current economic climate — making these women seem out of reach and out of touch. A throwaway line about how Carrie couldn’t sell her old apartment feels inadequate: She still owns it, and it’s still crammed with a healthy amount of her expensive wardrobe — at least the dresses, shoes and handbags she hasn’t moved into the tony Upper East Side apartment she shares with Big.
The couple does have a serious discussion one night, though, about the kind of marriage they’d like to have. It’s a rare moment that comes close to achieving honesty. But then Carrie keeps messing distractingly with her black evening gown the whole time — and so style wins out after all.
Read the whole hot breaking news about Review SATC28242 indulges in style over substance AP on “I know, let’s send the ladies to Abu Dhabi! We can dress them in outrageous costumes and put them on camels in the middle of the desert and Charlotte can search frantically for a cell-phone signal! Carrie can wear some oversized hat, and Samantha can shock all the Arab men with her signature brand of in-your-face sexuality! And Miranda … well, we’ll find something for her to do.”
“Of course, we’ll have to play Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ `Empire State of Mind’ at some point. I mean, it’s so obvious — people will be expecting it.”
“Doing it right off the top, over the opening titles.”
“Perfect. But wait, we need to include Liza Minnelli somehow. Surely we can’t ship her out to the Middle East …”
“How about this: We stage a gay wedding, and not only will Liza officiate the ceremony, she’ll also sing Beyonce’s `Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’ AND do the dance.”
“Genius!” (High five!)
Minnelli does indeed sing the song and do the dance, and it’s so painful to watch, it will make you want to scratch your eyes out of your head.
It’s a perfect example of so much that goes wrong with “Sex and the City 2″: It’s self-indulgent, way too long and never as clever or funny as it’s intended to be.
Writer-director Michael Patrick King and Co. found a balance of substance and style with the long-running, hugely popular HBO series. Even the original “Sex and the City” movie, for all its fashionable splashiness, still managed to be about something: the way the characters adapted as they morphed from single party girls into women building families for themselves. (Except for Samantha, of course, who’s always been on the prowl, despite having a more serious boyfriend from time to time.)
But the sequel too often feels like a series of lavish set pieces with sporadic discussions about careers, marriage and babies in between (although one of those talks, between Charlotte and Miranda about the realities of motherhood, is the purest moment in the movie).
Much of the shtick has long since gotten old. Carrie’s running voiceover, the structural thread all along, feels intrusive and pat. Charlotte’s cutesy prudishness seems an ill fit on a married mother of two. And Samantha’s corny puns reach a new low, as evidenced by her reference to a hot, globe-trotting architect she meets in the desert as “Lawrence of my labia.” It’s seriously cringe-inducing.
For fans of the show, though, the comfort of the familiarity will still be a huge draw — seeing Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker, who’s also a producer), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) on the big screen again. But the story simply isn’t there, even with a running time of nearly two and a half hours. (Yes, you read that right.)
Carrie and Big (Chris Noth) have been married for two years now, and they’re trying to avoid falling into staid domesticity. Miranda, married to Steve (David Eigenberg) with a son in Brooklyn, has a jerk of a new boss who’s making her miserable at the law firm. Charlotte has a comfortable life with husband Harry (Evan Handler) but she’s finding being a mother isn’t as idyllic as she’d dreamed. And Samantha is trying to fight off menopause by swallowing handfuls of vitamins every day.
But she also gets a gig doing PR for a luxurious resort in Abu Dhabi, so naturally she invites her girlfriends along for the adventure. This is basically an excuse to dress the foursome in exquisite jewel tones (the work of the famous costume designer Patricia Field, as always) and trot them through upscale hotel rooms, restaurants and bars.
(Saying much more would give away spoilers. Let’s just say some characters make decisions that are so needlessly self-destructive, they’re infuriating.)
Even though it’s supposed to be a fantasy, all this excess clangs — given the current economic climate — making these women seem out of reach and out of touch. A throwaway line about how Carrie couldn’t sell her old apartment feels inadequate: She still owns it, and it’s still crammed with a healthy amount of her expensive wardrobe — at least the dresses, shoes and handbags she hasn’t moved into the tony Upper East Side apartment she shares with Big.
The couple does have a serious discussion one night, though, about the kind of marriage they’d like to have. It’s a rare moment that comes close to achieving honesty. But then Carrie keeps messing distractingly with her black evening gown the whole time — and so style wins out after all.
“Sex and the City 2,” a New Line Cinema release, is rated R for some strong sexual content. Running time: 146 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G — General audiences. All ages admitted.
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