In this economy, if you have to choose… this isn’t the one animated family movie to pack up the kids and head to the movie theater for this year… “Monsters vs. Aliens” is a movie you should probably wait to rent.

My initial reaction when the movie ended was “that was okay”, shrugged my shoulders and started making additional notes…. but in the end, it comes back to the movie being just okay.  I’m sure that kids will like the action and the funny business, and there are jokes and references to make parents laugh, but when it comes down to deciding which movie to drop $50 at the theater to take the whole family… this isn’t the one so far this year.

 I will say that the screening I attended was in 2D, not the intended 3D, and I would guess that this movie is probably better in 3D, so add 0.5 to my rating if your seeing it in 3D.

The characters are fun with good voice talent, but the story is overly predictable, some of the comedy seems forced like there weren’t enough jokes and gags for the whole movie, so they came up with some fillers… in the end, there’s nothing really special about this movie.

As far as the funny goes… this is probably Set Rogen’s funniest role yet… the combination of the comedic character of B.O.B. (on poster, left) and not seeing Rogen makes his lines the funniest of his career.

THE BOTTOM LINE: 

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“New in Town” is funny and cute, its like Bridget Jones in the U.P.

This supporting cast of folksy characters makes a mostly predictable formula better than your typical romantic comedy.
Renée Zellweger is back in a role that fits her, along with romantic interest Harry Connick Jr. and a fun cast of characters from New Ulm, Minnesota, this romantic comedy is the first true “date movie” of the year.

The movie opens with two of the quirkier characters from New Ulm in southest Minnesota – Blanche played by great character actress Siobhan Fallon (birthing coach in “Baby Mama” (2008), hostage in “The Negotiator” (1998), Edgar’s wife in “Men in Black” (1997)) and Trudy Van Uuden played by Frances Conroy – gossiping around the scrapbook table about Renée’s character coming to town.

Blanche and Trudy steal scenes back and forth until Stu the plant manager - played brilliantly by J.K. Simmons – is introduced, then the three characters shoot out one Min-uh-so-tahn one-liner after another.  Including Trudy Van Uuden telling Renée’s character Lucy how to spell her last name, saying ”thats double U, not dub-ya”.

Sure its a Minnesota stereotype… but they embrace it and all the actors fit right into this town of characters, including the waitress at the local diner, and yes, her name is “Flo”.

Renée’s character Lucy comes from Miami to the cold of southeast Minnesota and doesn’t fit in well with these well developed characters as the new President of the plant – which is the lifeblood of the town.

The premise of changes and downsizing at the plant also hits home for Michiganders in this economy with the prospects of job losses and plant closings, and the folksy characters of New Ulm not only are different from Lucy, they are leary of her arrival because it usually signals job cuts.

While she’s there, Lucy has one funny mishap after another as the “new person in town”, they range from her first introduction of cold weather at the airport to her crashing into a snowbank after her weekend flight home is cancelled.

THE BOTTOM LINE: (more…)

“Appaloosa” wanders a little like the old western trail… it could have held the average audience better with tighter editing

 If you like Westerns, you’ll like this movie more than the average audience… and while its central theme of the friendship between the characters played by Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen will keep you interested, its lingering moments and lengthy shots may have you checking the time until this nearly two-hour long movie wraps up.

 “Appaloosa”

(2008) (rated: R for some violence and language) (1 hr, 54 min)

Starring: Ed Harris, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Irons, Renee Zellweger, Timothy V. Murphy, James Gammon, Timothy Spall, Tom Bower, Rex Linn, Lance Henriksen, Luce Rains, James Tarwater

Genre: Western/Drama

The Plot: Two friends hired to police a small town that is suffering under the rule of a rancher find their job complicated by the arrival of a young widow.

MY TAKE (spoiler free):

Please don’t get me wrong… I appreciate great landscapes and cinematography… they are a great device for putting the audience in the setting and reminding them they are still there… but where so many great movies use the device to perfection, it may be “Appaloosa”’s achilles heel.

Of course, I did go into this movie with the knowledge that (more…)