Popper's Penguins is Pleasing

     Based on the book by Richard and Florence Atwater and starring Jim Carrey as Mr. Popper, Mr. Popper's Penguins is the story of a divorced, workaholic dad learning to love his family.  In this regard, it has more in common with Carrey's 1997 Liar, Liar than the book it was based on; in the book, Mr. Popper was an Antarctic-loving painter struggling to provide for a wife and two young children.

     In the new movie, Mr. Popper needs to buy Tavern on the Green in Central Park from its private owner (Angela Lansbury) for his company.  The only problem is, she says she'll only sell to someone with good character, and Mr. Popper is a bit lacking in that area.  Meanwhile, he receives a penguin from his recently deceased father.  Five more soon follow.  Before he can get rid of the birds, Mr. Popper's kids, and, gradually, Mr. Popper himself, become way too attached to them.

     But if Mr. Popper changed his mind about sending the penguins away, no one else has.  A local zookeeper (Clark Greg) has his eye on the birds -- and Mr. Popper.  Keeping the penguins hidden from his landlord is virtually impossible, even without having to worry about proving his good character to the owner of Tavern on the Green to secure the sale.

     Cute, unrealistic, and completely happy-go-lucky, Mr. Popper's Penguins is good for a few laughs, from both penguins and people. And it is refreshing to see Jim Carrey more subdued, playing a character who's not entirely crazy.  Though the movie is really a one-man act, the supporting cast, including Mr. Popper's daughter Janie (Madeline Carrol), is excellent.

     But how ironic that a movie teaching that money isn't as important as love would deviate from a classic, cherished story --  in order to make more money.

                                                             

Towing Mater

     In Cars II, Tow Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), Lightning McQueen's tow-truck best friend from Radiator Springs, takes center stage.  Mater joins Lightning (Owen Wilson) on his trip to Tokyo, Italy, and London to compete in three separate World Grand Prix races.  While in Tokyo, small town native, simple-minded Mater embarrasses his famous race car friend with antics such as mistaking wasabi for pistachio ice cream.  This ignorance and provincial mindset is the center of the flick's comedy.  The jokes were funny, though many young children would not pick up on them.
     Later on, Mater gets mistaken for a canny American spy by secret agent Finn McMissle (Michael Caine) and his partner, Holley Shiftwell (Emily Mortimer).  So, Mater gets pulled into helping to dismantle a worldwide coalition of terrorist cars.  This latest Cars film's action adventure plot line is pleasantly surprising and amusing, but also somewhat confusing.
     Film composer Michael Giacchino's (Up, Ratatouille) soundtrack was ultimately disappointing.  The music towards the beginning of the movie was gripping or enchanting, depending on the mood of the scene, but after about the first two songs, the soundtrack pretty much just blended in with the rest of the movie.  It was  unnoticeable and definitely forgettable.
     Perhaps Cars II's best characteristic was its animation.  The cars are charming; the Japanese girls look the part, with flowers on both sides of their heads, and the queen of England looks utterly comical in her crown and powdered wig.
     Overall, the second Cars movie really showcases Mater's great personality.  It has a lot of humor, heart, and action.  There's something there for everyone.

Super 1, Super 2, Super 3...SUPER 8!!!!

     Set in summer 1979, Super 8 has a fitting title.  It tells the story of a group of boys making a zombie movie and getting a real-life supernatural experience.  The movie begins with the main character, Joe Lamb (a heartfelt performance by newcomer Joel Courtney) grieving over his mother's death in a mill accident.  Flash forward four months and it's summer, and Joe's best friend Charles (Riley Griffiths) is making a movie, along with Joe and three of their friends. Charles also manages to gets older, cute girl Alice (played by passionate Elle Fanning) to act in the movie.  

     During a midnight film session at a train station, the movie-makers witness an Air Force train crash into a truck driving the opposite direction on the tracks.  The group escapes scared, but unharmed.

     The next day is pandemonium.  People and dogs go missing.  Cars get destroyed.  The Air Force comes to clean up the mess from the train crash, but won't tell anyone what's going on.

     Joe becomes the leader in trying to solve this mystery.  He has a piece of evidence from the crash, and, amazingly, Charles' film from the night of the crash is unharmed and usable.  Director J.J. Abrams does an excellent job of creating Super 8's air of mystery and excitement, but the plot's proportions are off.  The mystery is solved all at once, instead of through finding evidence and information little by little and then figuring out its significance.  Some questions are never answered. And the climax is too short compared to the suspenseful mystery part of the movie.

    Despite Super 8's cozy, small-town Ohio setting and nostalgic movie-making, you never quite get comfortable, always expecting another shock to make you jump in your seat and gasp out loud.

                                                              

Panda vs. Peacock

     When we first met Po (Jack Black) with the release of Kung Fu Panda in 2008, he was just a pudgy, ignorant panda who somehow managed to both be chosen as the legendary Dragon Warrior, and defeat the evil Tai Lung, without even knowing kung fu.
     Now, in Kung Fu Panda 2, Po and Tigress (Angelina Jolie) lead the Furious Five, consisting of  Tigress, Monkey (Jackie Chan), Viper (Lucy Liu), Crane (David Cross), and Mantis (Seth Rogen).  They embark on a quest to save China from the evil Lord Shen (Gary Oldman), who also happens to be a peacock.  Po and Tigress complement each other perfectly -- hardcore, no-nonsense Tigress, and Po, getting the job done (to his own surprise) while being stupidly comical.  We get to know the members of the furious five better in this film; while they spent most of the first Kung Fu Panda avoiding and shunning Po, Kung Fu Panda 2 is nothing but teamwork and joking around, as we learn from some of the funnier animals.
     While all of this is going on, Po starts to remember some of the depressing memories buried within himself.  He searches to discover who he is, where he came from, and what happened to his parents.  
     Though each of these ventures is a worthy plot, both together is a bit excessive for one movie.  Kung Fu Panda 2 ends up having too much happening in too little time.  Even so, it's a fine sequel and an entertaining movie for all ages.

Captain Jack Is Back

     Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides takes place on just that -- stranger tides.  In this fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) returns, as hilarious as ever, to compete against a Spanish armada and Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) as the head of the British navy in a race to the fountain of youth.  Along the way, he escapes from the king's palace where he's held prisoner, is captured by former love Angelica (Penélope Cruz) and her evil pirate father Blackbeard (Ian McShane), and encounters seductive, carnivorous mermaids.  The plot will leave you on the edge of your seat with each new obstacle.
     But the fourth movie in the Pirates series has little in common with the first three.  Taken over from director Gore Verbinski by Rob Marshall, Pirates 4 has a completely different feel to it than the first three; it's darker, less light-hearted.  Combat scenes were frenzied and short, instead of carefully plotted out.  They incorporated almost no classic Pirates music.
     While the previous films had several main characters, including William and Elizabeth Turner (Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley), On Stranger Tides  highlights Jack as the only main character, without even mentioning Will or Elizabeth.  It puts Captain Sparrow right in the middle of conflict, rather than simply along for the ride. The result is a feeling of incompleteness and unbalance.
     In the end, On Stranger Tides leaves you wondering if more sequals will follow.  If so, will they tell us about Elizabeth, Will, and the Black Pearl?  And just how many more Pirates movies will be produced?
     A worthwhile movie, just not the classic Pirates of the Caribbean we all know and love.