The Karate Kid (2010)
Starring: Jaden Smith, Jackie Chan, Taraji P. Henson
Director: Harald Zwart
Plot: Forced to relocate to Beijing with his single mother and facing bullying in his new school, a young American boy is taught kung fu by the most improbable master - his building's handy man.
Review: A remake of the popular 80's teen drama created as a vehicle for Will Smith's son Jaden, the new Karate Kid may have been a box office success, but it doesn't hold a candle to the original, a movie that older audiences remember fondly - it may not have aged well but it had heart, something sorely missing here. Though moving the events to China does provide some shots of a far more exotic locale than Detroit, the new story keeps the basic elements of the original tale intact - boy gets bullied, boy gets teacher, boy kicks ass. Thank globalization, perhaps, but the original pairing of Italian kid Ralph Macchio and aging Asian worker Pat Morita in the 1980's seemed to allow for a more interesting, un expected pairing than does Smith and Chan in 2010. Still, if the dialogue is flat, at least the rather silly training sequences are fun to watch, showing the only real chemistry between the two leads. The direction by Zwart (Agent Cody Banks, The Pink Panther 2) is workmanlike but knows to put its two leads in the forefront. Surprisingly, he also allows for a languorous exposition to set up the young boy's frustrations at being uprooted and eventually bullied, taking loads of opportunities to immerse one with a young American's impression of China. Unfortunately, the second-rate script also never misses a cliché, the emotions feel shallow, and the pacing ends up just making the film dull instead of dramatic. Which comes to the downright biggest failure of the film: Jaden Smith. Oh, he has the attitude, the right moves and his performance could have been worse (no, really) but the script was clearly written for an older actor, and it doesn't sit right with the petite Smith. The love story between the 12-year old and a young Chinese violinist feels forced (what, love at first sight?) and then feels icky, what with a ham-fisted flirtation. And when it reaches its climax in a fighting tournament, the predictable result is simply ludicrous. Thankfully, legendary martial artist and all-around entertainer Jackie Chan couldn't have been better cast as the kung-fu mentor (Chan even gets an action sequence beating off a gang of bullies - bonus!) and he breathes some life to the role - either that, or his fans are just happy to see him in just about any movie. Somehow this new Karate Kid has hit a chord with mainstream audiences, and it's occasionally endearing and never too insulting. It's faint praise, but perhaps that's enough for any Hollywood drama thrown into the summer season.
Entertainment: 5/10

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010)
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner
Director: David Slade
Plot: As graduation approaches, a high school girl finds herself struggling to choose between her love for her vampire paramour and her werewolf friend, just as a vampire army is amassing for a sinister act of revenge.
Review: Based on the hugely popular teen vampire series by Stephanie Meyer, the equally hugely popular film franchise shows renewed life in Eclipse, the third chapter in the Twilight saga. Director Slade did the creepy thing with 30 Days of Night but shows a surer hand at the elements - and the franchise - here, easily besting the previous installment in style, visuals and action know-how. Don't be fooled, though: there's still oodles of romantic tension in the love triangle between swooning Stewart, teen vampire heartthrob Pattinson and werewolf beefcake Lautner ("doesn't he own any shirts?"), the latter two even get lots of opportunity to jealously squabble over their love interest (I'm definitely hotter than you" is an actual line, showing the series is at least able to have some self-referential humor). All this fervent chaste gushing may enamor the young female demographic - and to be fair there's some decent chemistry between the young cast - but for the rest of us it gets pretty grating after a while. Thankfully the action quotient and pacing are a huge step up from the last, stale entry, New Moon. Following in the footsteps of the Underworld series, we get lots of blood-sucking, running around, vampire-on-vampire and werewolf-on-vampire fights; if none of them are really original, at least each of them is as thrilling and well executed as the next. And for those of us who aren't fans, the inherent campiness makes for some good fun, too. For anyone keeping tabs, the mythology is explored a bit more in a few short flashbacks detailing the supporting characters' start, though these interesting bits seem to have been cut short to give more air time to the main leads and their love triangle. The cast also feels more comfortable, with Billy Burke as the protective dad getting the best lines in one of the few "adult" roles. If the first entry is still probably the best of the lot as a whole, Eclipse makes for decidedly better summer fare for a mixed audience. It's not great cinema, but it's a worthwhile popcorn flick in its own right.
Entertainment: 7/10

Toy Story 3 (2010)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack
Director: Lee Unkrich
Plot: With their owner preparing to leave for college, Woody, Buzz and the rest of the toy gang are accidentally dropped off in a day-care where they have to survive a roomful of screaming toddlers and a posse of mean toys.
Review: 11 years after Toy Story 2 (the better-than-the-original sequel to the film that started the CGI-movie craze), studio Pixar unveils the final (?) 3D-enhanced sequel, Toy Story 3. It's a nice return of the now-classic characters in a new adventure that's sure to please for kids young and old - but with a caveat. If the plot is new, the trappings feel somewhat familiar; there's a villain out to destroy them (Sid in Toy Story, here another toy), there's the theme of abandonment (Toy Story 2) and the loyalty between toys (recurring in Toy Story 1 and 2). As entertainment, it's hard to beat the trademark energy and storytelling prowess, what with all its fast pace, one-liners, action set-pieces and gags (none better than Buzz' "Spanish Mode"). As for the animation, it's still excellent with the 3D - though enhancing some of the thrills - unnecessary for the film's enjoyment. Yet despite all the slick, clever things we expect, the film often feels more referential than truly imaginative. There's a sense of lost innocence, with the added sexual innuendo, dire traits, brutality, meanness and implications of more than just peril but death - the climactic sequence, as the gang gets thrown into a garbage compactor and face incinerator doom, plays on fears that may be too intense for youngsters. Added to the mix is a a vague social commentary on how the industrialized nations' livelihood depends on the suffering of less fortunate societies, as the toys are forced into labour with the daycare's younger kids. It all makes for a thrilling adventure akin to The Great Escape with toys, but it's in the last 10 minutes that the movie redeems itself as a Pixar film, giving a dollop of sweet sentimentality that could bring a tear to the eye, as the toys get a last taste of play with their owner before being passed on to a new generation. The studio has made a rousing, fun, ultimately poignant film for the new century that's bound to be popular, but older audiences will feel a pang of lost nostalgia to its predecessors. Still, if neither the tale, animation or script really feel fresh, any Pixar film is light-years ahead of its computer-animated brethren in terms of pathos and humor, and Toy Story 3 is no exception. All complaints are only a sign of too-high expectations.
Entertainment: 7/10

The A-Team (2010)
Starring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel
Director: Joe Carnahan
Plot: Framed for a crime they did not commit, an elite special forces team of Iraq War veterans escape custody to clear their names and stop a covert government agency from getting their hands on a currency-printing press.
Review: There's silly, there's over-the-top, and then there's The A-Team. The big-screen adaptation of the hit TV series of the 80's starring George Peppard and Mr. T has been long in the making, but it was worth the wait. With a bigger budget, the stunts, special effects and pyrotechnics have all been dialed-up a few notches to meet summer blockbuster expectations. As one character states: "they specialize in the ridiculous" and there's lots of improbable situations, like the scene where they're shot out of the sky, jump into a parachuting tank and end up "flying" it - ludicrous but hilarious. Having some experience in making frenetically-paced action / comedies with his last film, Smokin' Aces, director Carnahan (Narc) ensures that the typical double-crosses, predictable twists and turns don't mar the enjoyment of the film. Most importantly, he keeps the spirit of the show intact: the camaraderie, the snappy banter and the improbable situations leaves more of an impression than the solid action sequences that are sometimes marred by jumbled, quick edits. Head-liner Neeson is loads of fun as the team leader, chewing the scenery (and his cigar) with wild abandon, and the rest of the cast seems to be having a grand ol' time, but it's rising-star Cooper who proves to be the real hero of the film as the suave ladies' man and man of action Face. Though it loses steam in the convoluted finale, The A-Team ends up being the summer's best surprise, a joyous action / adventure romp that all comes together in the best Hollywood style. And fans of the original show all love it when a plan comes together.
Entertainment: 7/10

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010)
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, Alfred Molina
Director: Mike Newell
Plot: A dashing prince, framed for the murder of his adopted father the King, joins forces with a conquered princess to protect a powerful dagger that can reverse time for its user.
Review: Loosely based on the popular jumping-and-fighting video game series of the same name, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is fast-paced adventure fare that's as much a throwback to films like Thief of Baghdad as it is to the current CGI-heavy fantasies. The similarities with action producer Jerry Bruckheimer's Pirates of the Caribbean are obvious - the light-hearted sense of adventure, the tongue-in-cheek humour, the terrific production values, and the swash-buckling narrative. As the film's roots will lead anyone to expect, our hero gets ample chances to jump rooftops, chase down busy city streets and get into loads of swordfights. The good news is that it's all great fun. Helmer Newell (best known for comedies like Four Weddings and a Funeral) seemed to be a strange choice for such an intense action flick, but he does quite well, taking some of the lessons learned from his last fantasy project, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Some gorgeous cinematography, art direction and sharp editing helps things, too, as do the well choreographed set pieces. A rather charming, pumped-up Gyllenhaal (in the role Orlando Bloom had in Pirates) surprises in his performance as an action hero and there is actual chemistry with leading lady Arterton that actually does create some nice sparks. Rounding out the cast is a scene chewing Alfred Molina (trying to capture some of the Depp craziness) and a rather bland Kingsley as the villain. The only disappointment, perhaps, is that it's all pretty shallow, mostly unoriginal stuff that's enjoyable while it lasts but quickly fades from memory. Still, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time is above-average summer fare loaded with derring-do and laughs - it's just what the season's blockbusters are all about.
Entertainment: 7/10

Iron Man 2 (2010)
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Mickey Rourke, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Jon Favreau
Plot: A billionaire industrialist has made world peace a reality thanks to his powered suit, but now must contend with a weapons-manufacturer competitor, a Russian physicist looking for revenge, the US government and his own mortality.
Review: There was surely lots of pressure to top the crowd-and-critic pleasing comic-book adaptation Iron Man, and the filmmakers set out to do just that. But where the original won kudos for its superb pacing and characterization, Iron Man 2 does fall victim to Hollywood sequelitis in wanting to deliver bigger, louder, faster set pieces and new, more colorful characters, something that also plagued Spider-Man 3. Indeed, the film is crammed with so much plot, sub-plots and ideas that it threatens to teeter into mush, leaving no lasting impression at the film's best parts, that of the brilliant, narcissistic Stark coming to terms with his own limitations and inner demons. For sure, the three main action set pieces are impressive and fun: a terrific, scene-chewing, Russian-speaking Mickey Rourke as Whiplash makes a splash chopping race cars on a Monaco race track; buddies Stark and Rhodes (this time around played by a no-nonsense Don Cheadle, replacing Terence Howard) battle it out in different Iron Man suits; and then there's the over-wrought, over-long chaotic finale as Iron Man and War Machine (a suit filled to the brim with Army weaponry) decimate a battalion of evil robots. Returning director Favreau is still the right choice for the material, giving all the high-tech gadgetry and tons of CGI a human face, but he has succumbed to the "more is better" mentality, putting the pacing on overdrive. Despite some pathos and comic-level melodrama, short-changed is the film's character study exploring the triangle between Downey as flamboyant genius / captain of industry and the villains, the equally-brilliant orphaned scientist Rourke and slimy arms manufacturer Rockwell (in an amusing turn), playing flip sides of the same coin. Rounding up the rest of the cast, Paltrow, as trust-worthy girl-Friday Potts, and Johansson as super SHIELD agent Black Widow really don't get nearly enough screen time. At least Johansson does get the chance to take down a building's worth of security guards in one of the film's cooler sequences. Thankfully, the script is clever, humorous and intense at the right moments, and the dialogue just clicks. But the real heart of the film is still the performance by Downey Jr., giving his character's rampant egotism and vanity such joyous insouciance that he's both mesmerizing and disarmingly charming. He's got a lot of competition with all the supporting characters and a new guy in a suit to contend with, but Iron Man 2 - with all its gee-whiz adventure and high society elbowing - just wouldn't be the same without him.
Entertainment: 7/10

Oceans (France - 2009)
Narrator: Pierce Brosnan
Directors: Jacques Perrin & Jacques Cluzaud
Plot: FIlmed thoughout the globe, the documentary captures some stunning scenes of the sub-aquatic world and its underwater inhabitants.
Review: Released in North America by Walt Disney's Nature label to coincide with Earth Day 2010, the French underwater documentary Oceans is a definite step up from the bastardization made of the BBC's Planet Earth series with Earth. The directors of the astounding Winged Migration have taken to the seas and it's immediately clear that their 8-year effort was worth it. Showcasing some of the world's most incredible (and little seen) wildlife from the Australian reefs, Alaska's orca feeding grounds and South Africa's shark-infested coves (among many other locations), the film is a buffet of majestic and bizarre creatures. Once again, thanks to the latest camera technology, stunning visuals are the order of the day, edited to get an emotional response from the audience - and for the most part it succeeds in giving a sense of wonder at the beauty, power and strangeness of Nature. Whales, dolphins, sharks and seals all make an appearance, of course, but so do protoplasmic jellyfish, a blanket octopus and a mountain of sea crabs among countless others. There's a sense of poetry here, and the breathtaking imagery is sure to impress even the most jaded viewers and their kids. The usual message of warning, of course, that mankind is too quickly destroying the delicate balance of the planet is captured in a brief foray into human pollution and over-fishing, but the real focus is on showing what we are losing. Narrated by Pierce Brosnan, the dialogue gives little added value to the imagery and the soothing tones will make adults nostalgic for Jacques Cousteau TV specials. But as a gorgeous travelogue of the world's seas and its inhabitants Oceans is a worthwhile effort.
Documentary: 8/10

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera
Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders
Plot: After downing a dragon in a lucky break, a young, misfit Viking who aspires to join his father as a dragon killer befriends the wounded creature and decides to help it return home before anyone notices.
Review: Vikings and dragons? In a computer animated 3D comedy? Why didn't anyone think of this before? Well, in a way they did - there was Beowulf, for one, which also got the 3D treatment, by the way. But for unadulterated family fun, How to Train Your Dragon - based on the novel by Cressida Cowell - is hard to beat. The animation is clean, stylish and inviting in that nice cartoon way that doesn't seek reality, meeting all our Pixar-level expectations. For thrill-seekers, there are spectacular scenes of battles with formidable looking dragons and an explosive climax with the biggest, baddest mother of all (no kidding); as such, some scenes are a little too intense for kids under 8. But it's the sequences of riding a dragon that really make the movie take flight (pun intended). Clearly created with 3D in mind, the smooth lush animation allows you to almost feel the wind in your hair as dragon and Viking boy soar into the skies - it's a superb rush. The humor itself is clever, smart and plays with the Viking / fantasy tropes but thankfully doesn't imbue the proceedings with the forced pop culture references of most CGI fare. It's also more cohesive as a story than any Dreamworks flick has been in recent memory, and it doesn't seem to try as hard to please making all the more appealing. It's no surprise, perhaps, that the movie works its charms with wit and exuberance despite its bare-thin plot as it's from writers / directors DeBlois and Sanders, whose last animated film was the funny, touching feature Lilo & Stitch, one of the highlights of the modern animated works from the Disney house. The scenes of bonding between creature and human (as they did for alien and girl) come off as affecting rather than cloying, a real feat for a kid's film. But perhaps that's what the real secret is - the heroes may be teens, but the film has adult sensibilities, making it a hoot for all ages. The voice cast is perfect, with Butler being a nice addition as the Viking chief, and Baruchel hitting just the right notes as his wimpy - but determined - son. Sure, the film wears its heart on its sleeve and we can see the end coming from miles away, but like the best stories the fun is in the telling, not the ending, and for that How to Train Your Dragon is the best guiltless pleasure you can have this year - at least until the summer movies roll in.
Entertainment: 8/10