Hop

Bunny Doesn’t Want to Work, Just Wants to Bang the Drum All Day

“It was better than ‘Alvin and the Chipmunks.’ ” I don’t think I can improve on that assessment — delivered by my son in the wake of a Saturday morning sneak-preview screening of “Hop” — and I certainly can’t contradict it. Connoisseurs of the school of cinema in which fuzzy animated creatures interact with hard-working, slightly desperate-looking human actors may find themselves, if not exactly delighted, then at least pleasantly tickled. The rest of us, who endure such movies in the name of family harmony, masochism or lack of leisure-time imagination, may be happily surprised to emerge from the theater in something other than a state of murderous rage.

And yet it is possible that “Hop,” a peppy, artificially sweetened little romp with no great cultural ambitions, may give offense to some of the people who get worked up every December about a supposed war on Christmas. The movie, a mild rip-off of “The Santa Clause” and its ilk, imagines a world of Easter-time joy from which even the slightest trace of Christianity is absent.

At one point the Easter bunny patriarch (Hugh Laurie) worries about the decline of a “4,000-year tradition” of jelly-bean and basket delivery, which is either a startling mathematical lapse or a stunning revisionist assertion. Apparently, in the worldview of “Hop,” which was directed by Tim Hill — also the director of “Alvin and the Chipmunks”! — pagan rabbit candy rites predated by nearly two millenniums the events in Roman-occupied Jerusalem that they have long been supposed to commemorate.

Not that I’m trying to whip up a culture war, as much fun as that might be. As I said, “Hop” is innocuous, though occasionally annoying and also, less expectedly, occasionally funny. Both types of occasions are mostly provided by Russell Brand, who specializes in collapsing the distinction between the exasperatingly silly and the charmingly naughty. He will have a chance to do that in his own shaggy, elongated person next week in “Arthur,”but here he makes the most of the incongruity between his Cockneyish drawl and the plaid-shirted, cotton-tailed body that has been rendered for him by the Illumination Entertainment animation team.

They produce a few decent sight gags, most notably the spectacle of a power-mad chick (voiced by the versatile Hank Azaria) astride one of his colleagues trying to whip up enthusiasm for a coup against the rabbit dynasty that rules both Easter and its functional North Pole, Easter Island. Mr. Brand’s character (E. B.) is the reluctant heir to this tradition, but he would rather be a rock ’n’ roll drummer.

His human counterpoint is a slacker named Fred (James Marsden, with the pained smile of a man resigning himself to several years of being mistaken for James Franco), who lives with his parents (Gary Cole and Elizabeth Perkins). Fred and E. B. meet up in Los Angeles, and high jinks ensue, the most memorable of which include a voice cameo byHugh Hefner (the kids will be in stitches) and an appearance by David Hasselhoff (the grown-ups will weep softly).

There are also some bunny ninjas. Also Chelsea Handler. The whole thing raises questions of the type it is almost embarrassing to contemplate; it’s almost like “Donnie Darko,” for little kids. Why would rabbits deliver eggs by means of a sleigh pulled by chicks when they seem to have a global warren of teleporting tunnels at their disposal? And since there seem to be no female bunnies, how exactly do these rabbits breed?

“Hop” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Some mildly crude humor; for instance, the excreting of jelly beans by an animated rabbit.

HOP

Opens on Friday nationwide.

Directed by Tim Hill; written by Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio and Brian Lynch, based on a story by Mr. Paul and Mr. Daurio; edited by Peter S. Elliot and Gregory Perler; music by Christopher Lennertz; production design by Richard Holland; costumes by Alexandra Welker; produced by Chris Meledandri and Michele Imperato Stabile; released by Universal Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 30 minutes.

Source: http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/movies/hop-with-russell-brand-and-hugh-laurie-review.html

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never

That Hair! Those Eyes! His Fans!

Jon M. Chu’s “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never” is billed as a concert documentary, but fewer than half of its 105 minutes are devoted to Mr. Bieber onstage. That was the right choice, because he’s more engaging as a star than he’s ever likely to be as a performer.

You don’t necessarily want to talk about sex when discussing someone whose fans are mostly adolescent girls, but Justin Bieber is nothing if not an old-fashioned, carefully constructed sex symbol, somewhere between a more knowing Donny Osmond and a less insinuating Elvis Presley. When the little girls understand you, music and personality are beside the point.

Mr. Chu is certainly aware of this, given the close-up attention he lavishes on the priceless combination of eyes, hair and jawline, of smile, vocal timbre and self-confidence that have carried the waifish — but fit! — Mr. Bieber to pop-culture Valhalla.

And while “Never Say Never” is an approved biography and marketing tool, in which the 16-year-old Mr. Bieber showcases his winsomeness and humility alongside his modest talents as a singer and dancer, Mr. Chu recognizes that the most compelling visual in this story is all those screaming girls.

So he points the camera 180 degrees away from the star a fair bit of the time, and that view introduces a queasy note of apprehension into the otherwise wholesome picture. Occasionally you see a fan whose senses are particularly deranged by her love for Mr. Bieber, and you hope that his security team has her picture on file.

Mr. Chu, who has experience in both 3-D filmmaking and stage spectacles (he directed the“Step Up” sequels), toes the company line the rest of the time, splicing together home movies from Mr. Bieber’s prefame years and shooting numerous boring segments with his handlers and coaches. It should be noted that the film’s producers include Mr. Bieber and his manager, Scooter Braun, a 29-year-old whose inflections and intensity recall the young Rob Morrow.

The concert scenes are perfunctory, shot in the usual manner with the 3-D cameras gliding back and forth at knee level. A duet between Mr. Bieber and Miley Cyrus, just 16 months older, serves as a cautionary example of how quickly a child star can begin to look middle aged and irrelevant. Several appearances with Usher, on the other hand, demonstrate what it means to own the stage. Next to Usher, his mentor, Mr. Bieber just fades away.

In the film’s best and weirdest shot, Mr. Chu zooms in close as Mr. Bieber flings his head back and forth in slow motion, waving his famously floppy hair in a moment that’s both hilarious and creepy, especially when you’re watching in 3-D.

At 70 or 80 minutes, reduced to crazy fans, backstage atmosphere and home-movie footage of Mr. Bieber playing hockey and pounding the drums, “Never Say Never” could have been entirely satisfying. At 105 minutes it’s exhausting, even though it has been expertly cut together.

Mr. Bieber is amiable company, but on screen, at least, he also projects the opacity of the single-minded and self-assured — the quality that, along with good looks and competent management, makes him such an ideal repository for other people’s dreams. Everyone involved in “Never Say Never” is working overtime to prove that he is, as one of them puts it, “just a regular kid who had a dream,” while everything about the movie screams the opposite.

JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER

Opens on Friday nationwide.

Directed by Jon M. Chu; director of photography, Reed Smoot; edited by Avi Youabian, Jay Cassidy and Jillian Moul; score by Deborah Lurie; produced by Scooter Braun, Justin Bieber, Antonio Reid, Usher Raymond IV, Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz; released by Paramount Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. This film is rated G.

Source: http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/02/11/movies/11justin.html

I am Number Four

Tales of Teenage Aliens

Strip away the uninspired mythology, and “I Am Number Four” is just your average high school movie with below-average drama. Fielding familiar classroom stereotypes — the bully, the science geek, the strutting alien female in the skintight cat suit — this turgid schedule filler is only marginally more fun than a week’s worth of detention.

Based on the young-adult novel by Pittacus Lore (who markets himself as an extraterrestrial), the story concerns nine alien teenagers hiding out on Earth from an evil race known as the Mogadorians. Resembling an apocalyptic biker gang with a bad case of ringworm, the Mogs are hunting down their prey in numeric order. When the film opens, three are dead and the fourth, a k a John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), is on the run.

Alighting in a small Ohio town with his protector, Henri (Timothy Olyphant, whose hotness is a sweet distraction from the general twaddle), John swiftly acquires a shutterbug girlfriend (Dianna Agron, bland as butter) and a slew of super-abilities. These tricks are soon tested by the simultaneous arrival of the Mogs and Number Six (Teresa Palmer), which prompts the director, D. J. Caruso, to start blowing stuff up and the audience to anticipate a minimum of five sequels.

Sluggish and derivative, “I Am Number Four” is another elaborate puberty metaphor with superpowers substituting for testosterone: when John gets overexcited, rays of light shoot from his palms. He should be thankful it’s not hair.

“I Am Number Four” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Tattooed warriors and turkey-eating shape shifters.

I AM NUMBER FOUR

Opens on Friday nationwide.

Directed by D. J. Caruso; written by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar and Marti Noxon, based on the novel by Pittacus Lore; director of photography, Guillermo Navarro; production design by Tom Southwell; costumes by Marie-Sylvie Deveau; produced by Michael Bay; released by DreamWorks Pictures. Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes.

WITH: Alex Pettyfer (John/Number Four), Timothy Olyphant (Henri), Teresa Palmer (Number Six), Dianna Agron (Sarah), Callan McAuliffe (Sam) and Kevin Durand (Mogadorian Commander)

Source: http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/movies/18i-am-number-four.html

Gnomeo and Juliet

Gnomeo & Juliet is a CG-animated send-up of the William Shakespeare tale of star-crossed lovers that's set in the world of ... plaster garden gnomes. And it's chock full of songs by Elton John, who also executive produced the film. Bear with me. It's not as bad as it sounds.

Set in Shakespeare's birthplace of Stratford-Upon-Avon, this 3D film directed by Shrek 2's Kelly Asbury follows feuding neighbors Mr. Capulet (voiced by Richard Wilson) and Miss Montague (voiced by Julie Walters), whose rivalry has even extended to their respective garden gnomes (with one set colored red and the other blue). But can a forbidden romance between a Red (Juliet, voiced by Emily Blunt) and a Blue (Gnomeo, voice of James McAvoy) bring the two sides together and end the feud (as well as rewrite the grim end of Shakespeare's original)?

The voice cast also includes Michael Caine as Juliet's father Lord Redbrick, Jason Statham as Gnomeo's nemesis Tybalt, Maggie Smith as Lady Bluebury, Patrick Stewart as Bill Shakespeare,Ashley Jensen as Juliet's confidante Nanette, Stephen Merchant as Paris, Matt Lucas as Gnomeo's pal Benny, and Jim Cummings as the plastic pink flamingo Featherstone. 

Like most people, I didn't think much at all when they first heard of Gnomeo & Juliet. But it turns out it's less like Hoodwinked! and more like this year's Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, another toon with low expectations that turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It could become the next Shrek-size franchise (and with the potential of increasingly charmless sequels); of course, unless it finds an audience it will be the new Igor. 

Gnomeo & Juliet has surprisingly racy undertones for a G-rated movie (the gnome hats are obvious fodder), which means there's plenty of subtext here for adults to enjoy even as the kids are amused by what's on the surface. There's also the bevy of classic Elton John tunes that have been reworked for the film, which adults will know and kids will likely discover here (perhaps they only know him as the guy who sang songs for 1990s Disney cartoons). Overall, this is pretty much Kitsch: The Motion Picture. 

The goofy and whimsical Gnomeo & Juliet may have a thin premise to it, but so did a certain animated movie about toys that come to life. (No, not Small Soldiers.) While the gimmick of sending up Shakespeare may be lost on kids -- who will enjoy the movie's colorful palette, silly characters and overall cuteness -- older and more literate viewers will appreciate the satirical bits peppered throughout the film. If you'd like a cheeky and cheerful animated romp, you could do worse than this little (no pun intended) film.

Source: http://movies.ign.com/articles/114/1148555p1.html

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia was a film series based on the books by C.S. Lewis; produced by Walden Media, with Walt Disney Pictures for the first two movies and 20th Century Fox for the third.

The first film was The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, its sequel, Prince Caspian, and completing the Pevensie trilogy The Voyage of the Dawn Treader.
The series has grossed at $1,164,662,685.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was released in US theatres the 9th of December 2005 and later on DVD, and had a limited Extended Edition version with flubs, etc, that was distributed until January 31, 2007. It has a total worldwide gross of $745,011,272.

Set in 1940 during the Blitz, the Pevensie children: Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, were evacuated from Finchley, London, to the country home of Digory Kirke. One day while they were playing Hide and Seek, Lucy discovered a wardrobe and, through it, entered a world called Narnia. Soon thereafter, the othere entered this magical world. They found out that an evil witch cursed Narnia, and it had been winter for a century. Three of the children plotted to end her rule over Narnia, while Edmund betrayed them all because of the witch's power of temptation. In a journey to the Stone Table to find help from Aslan, they ran into Father Christmas who gave them gifts which the used in the battle to free Narnia. Edmund was rescued by a group of Narnians and Aslan payed the penalty for his betrayal, and then in an epic battle, defeated the White Witch forever. Edmund was forgiven and was crowned King of Narnia alongside High King Peter, and ruled with his Queen sisters Susan and Lucy. Many many years later while hunting an enchanted deer, they found there way back into the wardrobe room. 

Prince Caspian

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian was released in US theatres the 16th of May 2008. It has a total worldwide gross of $419,651,413.

The four Pevensie children return to Narnia, only to discover that hundreds of years have passed since they ruled there, and the evil King Miraz has taken charge. With the help of a heroic mouse called Reepicheep, and the exiled heir to the throne, Prince Caspian, they set out to overthrow the King, once again with Aslan's help.

The four children will soon meet an intriguing new character: Narnia's rightful heir to the throne, the young Prince Caspian, who has been forced into hiding as his uncle Miraz plots to kill him in order to place his own newborn son on the throne. With the help of the kindly dwarf, a courageous talking mouse named Reepicheep, a badger named Trufflehunter and a Black Dwarf, Nikabrik, the Narnians, led by the mighty knights Peter and Caspian, embark on a remarkable journey to find Aslan, rescue Narnia from Miraz's tyrannical hold, and restore magic and glory to the land. 

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Official Poster

Added by Stubies0210narnia

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader was released December 9th, 2010 in the United Kingdom, and December 10th in the United States. it was released in 3D. The total worldwide gross is expected to be close to that of Prince Caspian. 

Edmund and Lucy come back to Narnia with their cousin in a ship called The Dawn Treader. Peter and Susan will not return because they have learned all they need in Narnia. Filming wrapped up in late November, 2009, and is now on the 4th stage of films: post production. It was filmed in Queensland and the Gold Coast in Australia.

Starring: Skander Keynes, Georgie Henley, Will Poulter and Ben Barnes

The Silver Chair

The Silver Chair would be the fourth film in the series. Andrew Adamson, the director of the first two movies in the series indicated that he wanted films two through four to be released closely together, which implies that The Silver Chair will most likely be made if The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a bigger box office hit than Prince Caspian. However, pre-production has not yet started. Like the third Narnia film, this film would be currently distributed by 20th Century Fox.

As noted above, Ben Barnes was expected to reprise the role of Caspian X due to the terms of his contract, and Will Poulter had been cast as Eustace; however, the movie will be released 2011.

The Horse and His Boy

20th Century Fox and Walden Media currently plan to make The Chronicles of Narnia: The Horse and His Boy in the future. It will most likely be released in 2012-2013.

The Magician's Nephew

20th Century Fox and Walden Media currently plan to make The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician's Nephew in the future. No one are sure yet when The Horse and His Boy will be released, however it will probably be released around late 2013 or mid 2014.

The Last Battle

20th Century Fox and Walden Media currently plan to make The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle in the future. The Last Battle may be released in 2016 or 2017.

Source: http://narnia.wikia.com/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(film_series)