Friday, March 30, 2007

Blades of Glory (PG-13) ***1/2



Blades of Glory is sheer inspired silliness. Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are Chazz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy, professional ice skating extordinares. Michaels is the shameless lustful slob and MacElroy is the primpy clean wuzz. In other words, they were made for each other.

When a fight over a gold win tie leads to their banishment from men's single skating, Michaels and Macaroy are forced to work together in the men's pair skating. Sure, there are the usual amount of gay jokes (the ackward facing of the crotch as shown in the trailer above), but the jokes are actually good (!) not because what they're doing looks gay, but because what they're doing is making them feel very... very... uncomfortable.

More than that, this film seems to be subverting the ice-skating scene from the ground up. Take the two montages of Michael's and MacElroy's history at the beginning of the film. Most sports shows like to recap a player's beginnings for dramatic reverence and effect. In this movie, the effect is decidedly comedic:

-MacElroy describes his beginnings as happy and ordinary; Cut to his 9 year-old self walking on a treadmill, breathing into a tube, monitored by 5 to 6 doctors.
-Michaels remarks how he's come far from being a drug dealer and criminal; Cut to his cover of the porno "The Iceman Cometh" with pornstars at his feet.

What really surprised me about this movie was Ferrell. Most of you already know him from SNL, Anchorman, and Talladega Nights, and are aware of his talents as a comedian, but in this movie, he rises high to new lows. Will Ferrell, the actor, has no shame, allowing his character, Chazz Michael Michaels, to have even less. When Michaels finishes flaunting his libido, he usually excuses himself by saying "I'm a sex addict" with little or no prompting. Chazz Michael Michaels reminded me a lot of "Bluto" from Animal House: He isn't a character, he's a force of nature. And we love him all the more for it.

Staring:
Will Ferrell : Chazz Michael Michaels
Jon Heder: Jimmy MacElroy
Will Arnett : Stranz Van Waldenberg
Amy Poehler: Fairchild Van Waldenberg
Jenna Fischer: Katie Van Waldenberg
Craig T. Nelson: Coach

In Theaters March 30th.

Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Happy Feet (PG) ****



“Happy Feet” is a fantastic film, filled with adventure, humor, heart, and an ample amount of toe tapping. Under the gentle direction of George Miller, the film soars with unique storytelling and excellent vocal performances by all (especially Williams, who does his best voice work since “Aladdin”). And the visuals! Oh! This film is a true cinematic marvel.

Starring:
Elijah Wood: Mumble
Brittany Murphy: Gloria
Hugh Jackman: Memphis
Nicole Kidman: Norma Jean
Hugo Weaving: Noah the Elder
Robin Williams: Ramon/Lovelace

Out on DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD March 27th.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

300 (R) ****



Wow, what a film! “300” is the kind of film to get drunk on. King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) must take 300 soldiers to Thermopylae and defend Sparta from the onslaught of the Persian soldiers. That’s pretty much the skinny on the film’s plot. The rest is sound and fury, except, unlike Shakespeare’s famous words, “300” means something. It’s about defending one’s right to live on one’s own terms, not on anyone else’s. The visuals in “300” were what I expected “Sin City” to be: eye-popping, intense, transcendent, gripping. It’s hard to make visuals that are truly gripping. But 300 does that, and does it damn well.

Starring:
Gerard Butler: King Leonidas
Lena Headey: Queen Gorgo
David Wenham: Dilios
Dominic West: Theron
Rodrigo Santoro: Xerxes

In Theaters March 3rd.