Perry, Fox Carry Patterson’s Cross

Posted on February 6, 2013 by philspicks

Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate

Actor/producer/director Tyler Perry is known largely for his widely popular movies focusing on the over the top Madea. So it goes without saying that when he was announced to take over the role of Alex Cross from veteran actor Morgan Freeman, audiences both of his work and that of author James Patterson were left quite in shock to say the least. Any time that an actor or actress takes a leap outside of his or her comfort zone, it also pulls said actor/actress’ fans out of their comfort zones. And that apparently is what happened in the case of his take in the new action flick bearing the character’s name.

Perry’s audiences and critics alike were pulled out of their comfort zone with Alex Cross because all involved became so accustomed to seeing Perry in dramadies, not action flicks. So much so that they refused to see Perry’s potential in this movie. Director Rob Cohen even discusses this in the Director’s Commentary of the movie’s new home release on DVD and Blu-ray. It’s just one of many discussions that he raises which will make for more appreciation for this movie among audiences. The reality of Alex Cross is that while the story may be somewhat outrageous, it’s no more outrageous than the criminal profilers in CBS’ Criminal Minds going out on “missions” to stop deranged killers, which is exactly what co-star Matthew Fox (ABC’s Lost) plays here. Fox expertly plays the absolutely deranged sociopathic killer Picasso who is hell bent on taking down Cross for past events. Much like Perry, his performance is a powerhouse. He is one of those villains that is totally believable. He is one of those rare villains that audiences love to hate, and by whom they are disturbed. That means that Fox did his job and did it well. So to that extent, Fox and Perry together really are what make the story work.

Keeping in mind why Picasso is after Cross, one can’t help but make at least a slight comparison to fellow actor Denzel Washington’s 1999 crime drama, The Bone Collector. The difference between the two is that this crime drama is far better and moves much faster. What Perry has done here for all intents and purposes is harnessed both Washington and fellow action star Will Smith and proven to be even better than both. Audiences need only allow themselves to suspend their disbelief and they too will realize Perry’s talents as an action star.

It goes without saying that a number of factors were changed in this adaptation of its namesake book by author James Patterson. But few movies ever adapted from books have ever stayed one hundred percent true to their origins. Just look at the movies in the Die Hard franchise. They are prime examples of that. Audiences need to keep this in mind as well in order to maintain their suspension of disbelief. Allowing that to happen allows audiences to simply enjoy the fast paced action that starts right off the bat and barely lets up right to the movie’s final confrontation. And if doing that doesn’t work, then perhaps watching the bonus making of featurette in the brand new DVD and Blu-ray release of the movie will finally convince people to let go of their own expectations. The feature, “The Psychologist and the Butcher: Adapting & Filming Alex Cross” features interviews with James Patterson himself in which he in no uncertain terms lets audiences know that he accepts the big screen adaptation of Cross. It’s nice to see an author giving his personal stamp of approval on an adaptation of one of his books. And hopefully both Patterson’s readers and Perry’s fans will come together after watching this new home release and give the movie the appreciation which it deserves. It is available now on DVD and Blu-ray in stores and online and is worth at least one watch by any true action movie fan.

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Audiences Will “Love” Dreamworks’ New Madagascar Special

Posted on January 23, 2013 by philspicks

Courtesy: Dreamworks Home Entertainment/Dreamworks Animation SKG/20th Century Fox/ 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

Dreamworks Animations’ Madagascar movies comprise one of the company’s most successful franchises. It’s so successful in fact that it has even spawned a holiday special titled, Merry Madagascar. Now the Madagascar gang is back again for yet another holiday special. This time, love is in the air for the gang as Valentine’s Day nears. Ironically enough King Julian (once again voiced by Sacha Baron Cohen) gets his hands on a perfume called “Love Potion #9” that makes anyone that wears it irresistible. When the “love potion” is used on Marty, it leads to an unintended effect, which ends up in Marty and the rest of Alex’s friends learning a very valuable lesson about friendship and love. The moral lesson and the laughs together will keep audiences engaged throughout the course of the special’s near half-hour run time. To be exact, Madly Madagascar’s run time is closer to twenty-five minutes than thirty. Though chances are if it is ever run on television, it will reach the half-hour mark thanks to commercials.

The run-time aside, much of the reason for the enjoyment in this special comes from the special’s writing staff and the voice cast’s ability to interpret the script. The entire cast from the previous Madagascar movies is back once more, with one more addition. Phil LaMarr (Futurama) joins the cast as the voice of a wildlife official at a Safari camp who has to chase after the infamous penguins of Madagascar. That’s right, even the penguins are back, creating their own mischief as the love bug has hit their leader, too. The original voice actors behind the penguins have returned, too. Keeping all of this in mind, it’s no wonder that interpreting the script for this special was so simple for the cast as it had to have been old hat for everybody.

The cast’s interpretation of the writers’ script plays its own role (no pun intended) in the success of this latest special. Audiences will also appreciate that the CG-based “animation” used in all of the previous Madagascar installments was used in this special, too. That familiarity of sorts—as minor as it may be—will help make this new installment a welcome return for audiences of all ages. The pop culture references to Lynyrd Skynyrd, Robert Palmer, The Black Eyed Peas, and The Clovers also make for their own laughs. All of this combined with the script writing and voice acting will make Madly Madagascar a Valentines special that the whole family will enjoy year after year.

The main feature included in this new DVD release is enjoyable enough for the whole family. It’s only part of the overall enjoyment that families will get from this new release. Just as enjoyable are the bonus shorts included with it. Two bonus shorts are included on the disc. The first of the pair is a touching Pixar style piece titled, “First Flight” in which a rather unhappy man learns the meaning of happiness when a baby bird falls from its nest and he ends up teaching the young avian how to fly. It truly is a moving story as short as it is. And it will leave both kids and adults smiling and shedding at least some tears of joy. Being that the only dialogue here so to speak is the man and bird “talking” to each other through bird song, the music played a big role in the success of the story. It came through in a big way, too. It added so much emotion to the entire story. It goes to prove that Pixar just might have some competition next awards season if Dreamworks continues to try its hand with more animated shorts. And from the viewpoint of this critic, if this short is any indication, more shorts from Dreamworks would be welcome.

The second short of the pair is far less emotional. Instead it’s on the exact opposite end of the spectrum. It’s taken from Dreamworks’ Over The Hedge movie franchise. The short, titled, “Hammy’s Boomerang Adventure” is a laugh-a-minute short that follows Hammy and his friends in their discovery of a video camera. Hammy’s friends use it to play a prank on Hammy. The writing for this short harkens back to the days of the old Warner Brothers Looney Tunes shorts with its physical comedy between Hammy and the Boomerang. And as with the short’s companion Madagascar feature, the original voice actors from Over The Hedge have returned here adding to the hilarity. Adding even more enjoyment to the short is a little musical number from pop star Ben Folds. Folds performs a song titled, ‘Heist’ for the short’s end credits. It’s not that long, obviously. But it’s still a catchy little tune that will have viewers tapping their toes. It might even be enough to get audiences interested in hearing more of his music. His music combined with the equally enjoyable shorts and main feature from the Madagascar gang come together to make for a DVD that any audience will want to check out when it hits store shelves next Tuesday, January 29^th. It will also be available online. It can be ordered direct online via the 20^th Century Fox store at
http://www.foxconnect.com/madly-madagascar.html
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Sony’s MIB Franchise Returns To Form In Its Latest Release

Posted on December 18, 2012 by philspicks

Courtesy: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

Sony Pictures’ Men in Black franchise has finally returned to form with the release of the third movie in its franchise. Whereas the franchise’s second movie dropped flat with audiences, this second sequel has brought the movie’s fun and action back. Given, the whole time travel/alternate timeline bit has been done far too many times in both movies and television. And there are far too many sequels, prequels, and remakes out there today. But this is one of those rare sequels that can be forgiven. It has brought the MIB franchise back to where it should be.

MIB 3′s bonus “Making of” featurette does a good job of explaining what exactly it is that made this movie at least somewhat successful. Director Barry Sonnenfeld explains that the movie isn’t so much about the time travel, but about the secrets of the relationship between Agents “Jay” and “Kay.” Having an understanding of this helps to be more accepting of the time travel/alternate timeline bit that is otherwise far too overdone in the science fiction genre. Audiences will find the relationship especially heartwarming in the story’s final moments in understanding this, too. It’s those final moments that really bring the entire trilogy full circle and hopefully will mark the end of this movie property.

The story of the relationship between “Jay” and “Kay” makes up for the otherwise dull and done to death time travel plot. It’s only part of what makes this movie bearable. This movie gets everything right that the second movie in the trilogy got wrong. Whereas the second of the MIB movies was simply not believable and focused far too much on melodrama, MIB 3 brings back all the aliens, gadgets, and action that made the first of the MIB franchise so fun. Also, since it does everything that MIB did, it is also much easier to suspend disbelief. That is the center of everything. The gadgets, aliens, special effects and action were fun. But it’s that believable storyline between “Jay” and “Kay” that makes MIB 3 what it is. Instead of a standard romance subplot, this story evolves the partnership/relationship between “Jay” and “Kay” and this makes them as characters more believable. By the story’s end, audiences who allow themselves to believe the relationship between “Jay” and “Kay” will see that while it may not be the most memorable of movies, it is still one that’s fun and funny for everyone.

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Perry, Fox Carry Patterson’s Cross

Audiences Will “Love” Dreamworks’ New Madagascar Special

Sony’s MIB Franchise Returns To Form In Its Latest Release

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