Talking Pictures

Movie Reviews

Tony Reviews “Horrible Bosses”

“Horrible Bosses” is all about three guys (played by Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis) who despise their employers so much that during an evening of drunken complaining they devise a plot to kill them.

“Horrible Bosses” will make you laugh. Even though most of the gags in the film seem overly familiar, (a scene in which a lot of cocaine is dropped on the floor is reminiscent of a Woody Allen bit), they are done with some flair.

And yes, you can draw comparisons to other films like “9 to 5” and even “Strangers on a Train,” but in defense of this film there are some pretty funny moments.

Those moments are provided mostly by the exchanges between milquetoast Jason Bateman and alpha-boss Kevin Spacey. The pair is perfectly balanced as Spacey dishes out an ungodly amount of abuse on his employee. And Bateman’s unresponsive responses are beautifully timed.

Worth special mention is Jennifer Anniston’s turn as an oversexed dentist.

I’m not saying “Horrible Bosses” is a great comedy, but it is a good one. It gets a B and is rated R

Tony Reviews “Zookeeper”

This will be short and sweet. There is nothing original about the plot of Zookeeper in which a lonely, stammering, love-dud (Kevin James) needs help wooing his ex, so the animals in the zoo help him out.

Mostly for the younger kids who have never seen “Dr. Doolittle,” this is just a mess.

It gets a C- (I gave it ½ grade because of the “kid factor”) and is rated PG.

Tony Reviews “Larry Crowne”

“It’s never to late to begin again” is the message found in the film “Larry Crowne.”

Crowne, a big box store employee, is unceremoniously fired because the company feels he can not advance up the corporate ladder since Larry, a veteran of 20-years in the Navy, is not a college graduate.

Larry’s life is shaken down to its foundation. So he enters community college to improve himself.

Tom Hanks, who also directs, (and shares writing credits with “My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s” Nia Vardalos) is in top form as Larry Crowne, an “every man” who gets caught up in a system that chews him up when he’s obsolete.

Hanks is a good director and knows his subject matter, but also has an eye for composition and storytelling. He also knows that an “under dog” story is one of the most powerful to tell.

And Hanks wastes no time in getting the male half of the audience on his side to sympathize as his character, Larry Crowne, begins to come apart under the weight of his new circumstances.

Julia Roberts co-stars as a frazzled professor suffering from stress, a bad marriage and equally bad attitude. She is looking for that spark she used to have and simply can not find. Enter Larry Crowne, a wonderfully needy and innocent student in whom she feels she can make a difference.

Now the film has won over the females in the audience.

Ultimately, Larry Crowne is a safe film. A likeable combination of a romantic comedy, a coming of age film and an overcoming adversity movie all wrapped up in one.

It gets a B and is rated PG-13.

Tony Reviews “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”

I think most audiences will (at first) enjoy the special effects in “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” because honestly there’s little else going for this film. And the truth is, even as good as the special effects are, after an hour or so they become boring and mundane.

Also, several times during the movie’s elongated (and they ARE long) battle sequences, I had to constantly keep checking who’s who as the 3-D technology made it difficult to distinguish one fighting character from another.

In fact the entire film suffers from its own self-indulgences beginning with a confusing and cliché-ridden script that just doesn’t get anywhere in its 2 hours and 14 minute run-time.

But the major problem with “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” is it never lets the audience “in” as neither the action nor the characters are compelling enough to entice the viewer into the story. Michael Bay’s direction keeps the audience at arm’s length the entire film, a fatal flaw in this type of movie-making, since this is the kind of film people need to “ride.”

Bay may have forgotten the “Transformers” franchise is basically “geeky” escapism and should maintain an element of fun throughout. But this film reeks from trying too hard to be too much of an “epic” and drowns in its own seriousness.

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon” gets a D+ and is rated PG-13

Tony Reviews “Cars 2″

I have to divide this review of Disney / Pixar’s “Cars 2” into two grades. If you are looking to take your child to a wholesome and colorful fun kid’s movie this weekend then by all means “Cars 2” is going to fit that bill.

For a younger viewer, “Cars 2” has a lot going for it. Cool gadgets, lots of action and some laughs. Those laughs are provided mostly by “Mater,” the tow-truck (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy). Mater has a knack for getting himself into tight situations but with the help of two British spy cars (voiced by Michael Caine and Emily Mortimer), he ultimately comes into his own.

As I said, the kids will enjoy this film and I wholeheartedly endorse “Cars 2” for any youngster.

Now, that being said, I think the adults will not find “Cars 2” as charming or as engaging as the other Pixar films, due a lack of sincere warmth and heart in the story.

In this outing “Lightning McQueen” (voiced by Owen Wilson) is delegated to “sidekick” status and Mater becomes the lead in the story. Likewise, most of the other characters we’re familiar with are used sporadically or just at the film’s opening and / or closing.

Finally, “Cars 2” for an adult, has the definite feeling of a “straight to DVD” release rather than a feature film. And although “Cars 2” is technically a masterpiece with spotless 3-D and computer animation, it does boil down to story, story, story!

Ultimately, the impression is given the film is just a giant commercial designed to “push” these new toys to the public because they’re cool and sellable.

For a kid “Cars 2” gets a B. For adults the film rates a C. It carries a G rating.

Tony Reviews “Bad Teacher”

Bad Teacher is one of those films that really needed to push the envelope more than it did. The film, although funny in places, just wasn’t brave enough to cross the necessary comedy line and left the audience with a feeling something was lacking.

I can’t fault Cameron Diaz’ performance, as she was pretty much the perfect choice to play “Elizabeth Halsey,” the gold-digging, self centered Jr. high school teacher looking for a rich guy to marry. Diaz has proven many times in the past that she has great comic timing, and “Bad Teacher” is no exception. It is the script that fails her talent.

Lucy Punch is “Amy Squirrel,” one of those eternally happy, perky and annoying teachers. Her performance is pitch perfect as she smears sunshine and rainbows everywhere… yet lurking just beneath the surface is a very dark side.

Also in the cast is Justin Timberlake as the smiling yet innocuous heir to a fortune substitute teacher Halsey and Squirrel have their sights on. And Jason Segel as the loutish gym teacher, who gives the film some of its best moments.

And yet with such a decent cast, the script still plods along from situation to situation with far too much time lapsing between laughs. What “Bad Teacher” needed was to maintain its “over-the-top-ness” from beginning to end.

But sadly, it didn’t. And what could have been a irreverent, biting and hilarious field trip, turned out to be just another day at school.

Bad Teacher gets a C+ and is rated R

Tony Reviews “Green Lantern”

“The Green Lantern,” is a better film than I expected it to be.

In the film, based on the long-running DC comic book, Ryan Reynolds is Hal Jordan a reckless test pilot who encounters a being from another world and is given a ring with mysterious powers.

And to be honest I was not expecting too much from the film to begin with, since the trailers for the movie made it look dull. Most of the audience I went with also had reservations about the movie, so in a sense, going in with slightly lowered expectations was actually a good thing.

Although this adaptation of the comic is a likeable one, there is little in the film to really LOVE. Added to that are some problems with pacing making the film too slow and dry at times. Plus the script is also a bit confusing concerning some of the character sub-plots.

Overall “The Green Lantern” is an entertaining movie, but it just doesn’t have the zest and thrills a summer blockbuster should have.

It gets a C+ and is rated PG-13.

Tony Reviews “Mr. Popper’s Penguins”

There’s something missing from “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” the new film starring Jim Carrey and a crate full of digital penguins. What’s missing is a sense of itself in the ridiculousness of the situation in this family film.

The plot revolves a man who is suddenly saddled with a pack of penguins (which is never really fully explained) and through a series of screw-ups he ends up being their caretaker. Through this act he begins to bond with his family.

Ok, it’s a bit silly and over the top but that’s exactly what usually works in a Jim Carrey film – however, in this case Carrey’s timing is way off and the film seems to fumble and stumble around looking for laughs.

On the technical side, the film does a great job in creating these digital penguins and with bestowing on them unique personalities, but in the final reel, the film lacks a human factor.

“Mr. Popper’s Penguins” ends up a very average summer distraction.

It gets a C grade and is rated PG.

Tony Reviews “Super 8″

After seeing “Super 8,” the new film written and directed by J.J Abrams and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, I felt as if I traveled back to when summer movies had a magical effect on audiences. Those times when movies lingered for days and became the focus of coffee breaks, water cooler and lunchtime conversations.

Yes, “Super 8” is that good. And yes it’s going to be one you will want to see more than once.

The film revolves around a group of middle school friends involved in making an amateur zombie movie. While they are shooting a night scene, they witness an event that changes their lives forever.

The movie also focuses on the relationships between two families as a recent accident has caused bitter feelings between them.

Then add in some paranormal happenings and you get that infamous Spielberg intersection of emotions and the supernatural colliding head on.

What’s great about “Super 8” is how the film is slow to build, yet there’s plenty of action, witty dialogue and humor to keep the ball rolling and how all the pieces seem to fit meticulously together at the end.

“Super 8” is a great summer movie and an instant classic.

It gets an A and is rated PG-13

Tony Reviews “Judy Moody & The Not Bummer Summer”

“Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” is based on the series of children’s books and follows Judy as she leaves school for the summer and begins her plans to rack up the most summer thrills. However things go awry when her parents, due to a family emergency, need to leave her and her brother home guarded by her aunt Opal.

Judy is crushed as her dreams of a fantastic summer melt like a Popsicle in July on an Arizona sidewalk.

Aunt Opal, it turns out, is a rather Bohemian artist and Judy finds in her a kindred spirit. Together, along with Judy’s younger brother “Stink,” they begin a quest for the best summer ever.

“Judy Moody” may be a film for very young children, but remember, very young children are easily entertained by loud noises and exaggerated gestures. And “Judy Moody” has an overabundance of noise and movement but very little else in the way of entertainment.

What’s missing in this train wreck of a movie is any semblance of a cohesive plot or structure. The story simply runs from one caper to another hardly taking time to breathe in between. All the while every line is said almost at the top of these young actor’s lungs, making me wish for the subtle acting style of the original “Little Rascals.”

Just to make my point clear as glass, “Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer” is a horrible film, period.

It gets a D and is rated PG.