Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

The whole Wimpy Kid gang is back on the sequel to last years hit. This time around, Greg (Zachary Gordon) is pushed to get closer with his brother, Rodrick (Devon Bostick.) In the meantime, there’s a new girl at school (Peyton List) who Greg desperately tries to impress. This chapter rides heavily on the comedic chops of its ensemble cast, and like the first installment they are very successful. Larger roles for Bostick and the parents (Rachel Harris and Steve Zahn) add a more adult level of humor to the adolescent brand used otherwise. That isn’t to say the child actors don’t hold their own. Gordon carries the film in a way that few 13 year olds could. He’s likeable yet realistic and even manages to show some growth between the two films.

The plot is episodic in nature, and at times seems like it would be better suited as a television show. The subplots tend to overpower the main themes, but it doesn’t weaken the movie because every scene is really funny. The script even allows the audience, mostly children, to learn at the expense of the characters. Greg repeatedly bosses around his best friend, Rowley (Robert Capron), and shows how mean it is. These moments don’t provide much for the adult audience, but kids should learn something, in my opinion.

The occasional integration of the illustrations from the original books proves to be a nice touch. It also shows how vague situations are brought to life with great success in the script. The sequel’s story arch is a bit less focused than the original, but the plot is less cut and dry. The Rodrick character is often the stereotype of a teenager with a crappy band and vulgar stench, but he becomes a developed character in the film’s second half. Rodrick’s upgrade means less screen time for Rowley, but these complaints are an attribute to how likeable all the characters are. Let’s see if Diary of A Wimpy Kid can pull off the rare feat of a successful trilogy. (9.0 out of 10)

The Lincoln Lawyer

Why Matthew McConaughey ever wastes his time with cheesy romantic comedies is beyond me because he has proven once again that he has a knack for the legal drama. The Lincoln Lawyer is his first lawyer flick since A Time To Kill in 1996 and both are quite successful. This film follows a tricky case where a rich man (Ryan Phillippe) is accused of beating up a prostitute. But as the case evolves, McConaughey finds a connection to an old murder, which puts everyone around him in danger.

With the oversaturation of legal dramas currently on television, the twists and turns in the case lose a certain something. But The Lincoln Lawyer’s strength is the ability to create tension in the characters. McConaughey is a convincing lawyer, father and generally more likeable than he is in some other performances. Marissa Tomei and William H Macy give support like one would expect from two Academy Award winners. Ryan Phillippe however, has some stumbles. There are points where he seems to be just reciting his lines with no attempt at realism. Or maybe he is supposed to sound like that and Phillippe is acting out a person acting. Either way, the immediacy with which the audience grows to hate his character means he must be doing something right.

The script’s fast pace works well with the actors involved and they have no trouble keeping up. I doubt the real world of high stakes court cases plays out with the theatrical twists and turns like it does here, but it’s a movie and I realize that. The use of everyday swearing adds authenticity to the dialogue because admit it, people swear a lot. Since the movie needs to be rated R because of all the violence, a few “F bombs” here and there doesn’t hurt anybody. A pretty F-ing good movie if you ask me. (8.8 out of 10)

Mars Needs Moms

With the funny title and concept, one would assume that this animated feature from Disney is a light-hearted film. In reality it is Disney’s attempt at light-hearted, with dead parents, political preaching and subliminal themes. The story is about Milo, voiced by Seth Green, who sneaks aboard a spaceship to rescue his mother, who has been kidnapped by aliens. Turns out the citizens of Mars need to harvest the motherliness from Earth women because their women make bad parents. Then there’s the whole issue of how the males of their species are shunned into the pit of the planet that is made up entirely of garbage. So, the women rule under the lead of an old hag looking alien called the Supervisor (Mindy Sterling.) So, Milo tries to rescue his mom with the help of the only other human on Mars, Gribble (Dan Fogler.)

I know that is longer than my usually synopses, but I think it’s worth it because the concept is just so weird. The surface theme of appreciating your mother is misguided throughout. Milo’s own selfish wants are the only thing pushing him forward with the mission. Okay, so maybe the gender equality point is what’s most important in the film. I don’t think so. The men all look like stoners and have no desire to do anything except dance and the women only work. Plus, the latter are all rail thin with big asses. They’re cheap stereotypes.

So, Disney turns to their go-to gimmick, a dead parent. I won’t say whose it is, but I couldn’t help rolling my eyes when it happens. If it weren’t for some incredible looking animation and a fairly charming resolution, the film would be a total wash. The overall problem with Mars Needs Moms is that another re-write could have helped the themes along and made the jokes funnier. It’s fairly obvious that the look of the movie was the main focus though, and if that’s the case, then it’s a great success. (4.8 out of 10)

Sucker Punch

There are always a lot of critics of Zack Snyder’s films. They tend to be violent, over the top, and most important, tremendously loyal to the source material. But there are only a handful of directors who can create films as epic as Snyder and Sucker Punch backs that up. The film tells the story of a group of abused girls in a mental institution, their attempt to escape and the fantasies they create to escape the brutal reality. As diverse a plot as that is, it actually proves to be a bit forced, seesawing between relentless action and crawling monotony. The action scenes that play out as self-sustaining mini-movies are epic and interesting. I would rather see any one of them in a full-length feature over the weird theater storyline that is the basis for this film. But before I compliment these scenes too much, they are essentially unnecessary fights that take up time more than they further than plot.

One of the main issues that is not always addressed in comic book movies is the use of one-dimensional characters. While some, like Peter Parker, are emotionally deep, others only have one personality type. Every player in Sucker Punch is just that, basic. Their only changes are terribly predictable. I am all for sticking to the original story, but apparently something got lost in the transition.

Visually, the film looks amazing. However, the unique look Snyder creates seems to vanish for periods of the film. While 300 and Watchmen, which are both Snyder films, use shadows and visual effects to become favorites of comic book fans, Sucker Punch only dabbles in these methods and looks like a copy. The biggest impact this film will have on my movie going experience is that for the first time in six months there won’t be a Sucker Punch trailer before 90 percent of the features. I don’t think I’ll miss them. (7.0 out of 10)

Limitless

Bradley Cooper’s versatility is put on display in the cross-genre vehicle, Limitless. Cooper’s character is a down in the dumps writer until a miracle drug reverses his fortunes by activating the unused portion of his brain. He then makes money, fixes his relationship and inevitably gets in to life threatening trouble. Cooper is very capable in this lead role and is able to keep his character likeable even when he is making poor decisions. This helps to keep the audience’s attention through the points that the film gets a bit repetitive and slow.

As strong as Cooper is, some of the of the actors have trouble playing second fiddle. I’m looking at you at Robert De Niro. While his performance may be better than some of his recent films, it’s basically a generic role that is acted out with no particular brilliance. But like I said, this is Cooper’s movie through and through. The majority of the plot is like an offshoot of Wall Street, except for the whole sci-fi drug element. Now, for the most part this is an interesting combination. However, all the scenes where Cooper is going through withdrawal and collapsing on the ground get to be a bit much. One or two would have sufficed, but they keep turning up.

The whole film gives off an uneasy feeling, and the resolution never quite gels with the themes. The ending is quite rewarding for the audience, but it’s also debatable. Did he or didn’t he? Is he lying or not? No spoilers here, but they’re definitely some points to think about during the end credits. The other gimmick that proves more of a distraction than a benefit is the narration. When the voice over says nothing that is not already obvious from the movie itself, then it shouldn’t be there. Even Cooper couldn’t turn unnecessary narration into something worthwhile, but he did make Limitless a success. (8.3 out of 10)

Beastly

You know the line from the classic song, “Tale as old as time.” Well apparently someone thought that tale needed updating. Beastly is a modern remake of Beauty and the Beast, which follows a good looking snob, Alex Pettyfer, who gets transformed into a fugly snob by a witch, Mary-Kate Olsen. He then has one year for someone to love him or he’ll stay fugly forever. Enter Venessa Hudgens, who is the unrealistically nice character forced into the unrealistic situation of living with Pettyfer when a drug dealer threatens her life. It is all one big fugly, unrealistic mess. Every plot update comes off as forced and loses the edge the original story has. For example, the original story has a rose, which loses its petals as time passes. This story has a tattoo that will bloom roses as time winds down. It’s a forced attempt to be hip and it fails miserably at that.

With respect to the target audience, which is apparently teenage girls, there is hardly an attempt to be relevant. The script repeats the film’s theme over and over as if the audience would not be able to pick it up on their own. Yes, looks aren’t everything. At the beginning the character believes they are. At the end he realizes they aren’t. Everyone gets it. The movie would have done better by developing the characters more thoroughly.

Never has an actor saved a movie more than Neil Patrick Harris does in Beastly. He plays the blind tutor, who teaches Pettyfer that love is blind… how subtle. But he has a half-dozen laugh out loud moments and many others that break the awkward tension. To end on a positive note, the resolution is well done. I found myself actually being hooked for the first time in the 85-minute film. Young adult movies do not need to tip toe around the casual movie going audience. Beastly is like a poor man’s Twilight without the drama. I would have enjoyed it as a TV movie, but it’s not worth the ticket price. (3.9 out of 10)