The King’s Speech

 There is a scene in The King’s Speech in which the royal family is standing on a balcony overlooking their loyal subjects. As they stand there practicing their royal wave it made me wonder how long royal families have been doing this. That’s the thing about being a royal; everything about the way you behave or live is ensconced in etiquette and tradition. From naming your children to how you eat dinner, very few decisions are truly your own. There is a rule and regulation for everything.
 
The King’s Speech tells the story of King George VI, Colin Firth (A Single Man) who becomes king when his older brother, Guy Pearce (The Hurt Locker) abdicates the throne to marry the American Wallis Simpson. His majesty King George VI is terrified to be king for one major reason, it includes making public addresses.
 
With a speech impediment for as long as he can remember, Bertie (his family nickname) has been bullied by his father, tormented by his tutors and teased by his siblings. He abhors speaking in public and he has been introduced to all the best elocutionists in the country. At a point of frustration he finally says no more! But his wife the duchess, Helena Bonham Carter (Alice In Wonderland) hears of a new teacher and she secretly goes to meet him. He is an Australian and has some new and controversial methods. She persuades her husband to meet with him, but they quarrel and he storms off. But later when he realizes that his odd methods do have merit, Bertie decides to put his trust in Lionel Logue’s hands, Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean).
 
In the sanctum of his office, Lionel demands complete equality in order to be effective. This is difficult for the shy prince; he has never interacted with common people in an intimate manner before. But his commitment is sincere and he’ll do anything to cure his stammer. He has a duty to fulfill and that duty includes giving speeches. The prince takes his responsibilities very seriously.
 
When the prince becomes king, the stakes become much higher. Bertie and Lionel work tirelessly to get him ready for his coronation speech. Breaking protocol, Lionel is granted full access and together they pull off the impossible, an articulate speech worthy of a king. Lionel and the King’s partnership last throughout his entire reign. Whenever the King had a speech, Lionel was there and their friendship lasted a lifetime.
 
The King’s Speech is a beautiful film about courage, duty and friendship. Colin Firth’s performance is inspiring and Geoffrey Rush portrays a man who values people over property. His impoverished lifestyle allowed him to help more students, but with the King’s patronage he was able to do much more. Geoffrey’s performance embodies Lionel with a hint of humility mixed with a large dose of bravado. Standing up to a royal could have had serious consciousness.
 
Helena Bonham Carter is also memorable as a supportive wife and mother. Her performance is sweet and nuanced as is appropriate for the future queen mother. I thoroughly admired this film and the performances in it. It is a wonderful tribute to a good man who never shirked his duty. He got his country through a war and earned the respect of the world. Everyone should see this film. It will move and inspire you.

Rating: First Run A wonderful inspiring story

I Love You Phillip Morris

In the Texas State Penitentiary is a man named Steven Russell who is serving a life sentence. He’s never killed anyone, he’s never used a gun, what he did was much, much worse; he embarrassed the state of Texas. Jim Carrey (The Grinch) plays Steven Russell, a man who did everything by the book until one day when he nearly loses his life in a car accident. While being loaded into an ambulance he has an epiphany, life is not worth living unless you can be yourself. So he leaves his wife, announces that he is gay, and begins a life of crime to support his new homosexual lifestyle.
 
Russell moves to Miami Beach, gets a boyfriend and become a feature in the decadent nightclub scene. Soon he is racking up major debt and starts committing insurance fraud to pay for his extravagant lifestyle. When the lies finally catch up with him and he’s thrown into jail, he becomes an expert of the law and a wizard of prison bureaucracy.
 
After multiple escapes and recaptures Russell meets Phillip Morris, Ewan McGregor (The Ghost Writer). Philip is a shy, sweet reserved man and Steven is totally smitten with him. When Phillip is transferred to another cellblock they begin a romance of secret letters. Then Steven accomplishes the impossible, he falsifies documents and gets himself transferred into Phillip’s cell.
 
Together they live in bliss with Steven protecting and caring for his more demure lover. But when they get separated again, Steven moves heaven and earth to reunite himself with his one true love, even to the point of faking his death.
 
This is an unconventional story of a love that knows no bounds. It is a story of a man who will cheat, lie and steal to be with the one he loves. It is a bizarre story, but true, and Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell with conviction (pun intended). I Love You Phillip Morris is strange, but it is also very sweet. It is a love story with obstacles and one that you’ll never forget.

Rating: First Run A story of a love that cannot be denied
 

How Do You Know

How Do You Know opens with a little boy attempting to hit a ball off of a tee. He swings, misses, swings, misses and misses again. Behind him a little blonde girl is watching intently. When the little boy walks away in disgust, the little girl steps up, places the ball on the tee and whacks it out of sight. As she marvels at her accomplishment, the little boy comes back and knocks her on her butt. Welcome to the world of women athletes.
 
Reese Witherspoon (Walk The Line) portrays Lisa, a professional softball player. Facing her impending birthday, she is waiting to see if she’ll make the national team again this year. As far as her colleagues are concerned, she is an indispensable member; her positive attitude and motivational skills make her a natural team leader. But at 30, Lisa is slowing down and the team now has a new coach. Lisa is getting the feeling that this year may be her last.
 
Lisa has devoted her entire life to softball, she has gone to the Olympics twice and her personal life has paid the price. Not having a team to play for is unthinkable for her. On one particularly low day, Lisa agrees to go out with a professional baseball player named Matty, Owen Wilson (Shanghai Noon). He pitches for a major league team and on the surface they are the perfect couple. They have everything in common, they both have golden hair, big smiles and trim athletic bodies. But on the inside they are completely different. Lisa is a smart, polite, independent woman and Matty is a little egocentric. As much as he tries to be sensitive and giving, it’s the little selfish things about him that she notices. How do you know when you are being too picky?
 
In an attempt to get Lisa out and dating, prior to her meeting Matty, one of Lisa’s teammates gives her phone number to her brother’s friend George, Paul Rudd (I Love You, Man). His first call was unexpected and he strikes out with Lisa. His second call doesn’t go well either, but when they accidentally meet at his father’s apartment building they agree to have dinner. Lisa just had a fight with Matty and she has found out that she has been cut from the team. George is having a bad day too. He just discovered that the U.S. government is indicting him for securities fraud. They eat their meal in silence, but an appreciation between them forms. Underneath they are the same kind of people, honest, upright, positive and kind. How do you know when you’ve met your soul mate?
 
Being a romantic comedy the rest of the film is about working things out. James L. Brooks regular Jack Nicholson (Terms of Endearments) plays George’s dad and Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan) plays his loyal assistant. The writing is heartfelt, but not too saccharine, and what I loved the most about this film was the honest grounded performances. I was so touched by these characters that I hated to say goodbye. Reese is quickly becoming one of my favorite actresses and I’ve always loved Paul Rudd. Add in Owen Wilson, also a favorite of mine, and you have an irresistible mix. I found Kathryn Hahn lovely in this role and Jack as always, is Jack. For me it was a wonderful night at the cinema and I left feeling warm with a big smile on my face. How do you know when you’ve seen a good film? It’s the way it makes you feel and with this director and cast, it’s a no-brainer.

Rating: First Run I know I love this movie
 

Little Fockers

We have all grown to love the Focker-Byrnes clan with the patriarch Jack Byrnes scaring the the bejeezus out of us. But what happens when that dynamic changes? In Little Fockers Jack Byrnes, Robert de Niro, is disgusted that his favored son-in-law Dr. Bob, Thomas McCarthy, has been caught cheating on his daughter. While he has been watching his other son-in-law Greg, Ben Stiller, his chosen one, Dr. Bob, has let him down. Now Greg looks like the prize son-in-law and everything Jack knows is being tested and challenged. Jack is feeling vulnerable these days, age is catching up with him and his heart is giving him problems. He needs someone strong and reliable to head the family when he dies and now that Dr. Bob is out, that role falls to male nurse Gaylord Focker.

With the coming 5-year-old birthday party of the Focker twins, Jack sees this as an opportunity to mentor his new favorite son. At first Greg is surprised and flattered by the attention but then he becomes suspicious. In trying to please his father-in-law Greg overextends himself financially and takes on a second position as a spokesperson for a new erectile dysfunction drug. The drug rep, Jessica Alba, is all flattery and praise and she even tries to seduce him. When Jack sees Greg in a compromising position he becomes irate at being fooled again. This leads to a confrontation and a comic meltdown which is the best part of the film.

Comically this movie felt like it had one bad spark plug. It would be chugging along firing on all cylinders and then bam, there would be a mis-fire. In the attempt to get all of the Focker-Byrnes in one film, some characters felt under-used and some felt out of place entirely. The Focker parents, Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman were practically cameos and the best part of the under-appreciated Blythe Danner was seeing her in pearls trying to bring sexy back.

To crowd the cast even more, Laura Dern plays the director of an exclusive humanistic pre-school, and Harvey Keitel plays a strange ear-ring wearing contractor who tangles with Jack. Owen Wilson is brought back to test the Focker marriage and poor Teri Polo is pretty much relegated into the background and given little to do.

This film feels like it is trying too hard to please every one and therefore it becomes too much and overblown. The parts that really work are the scenes between Jack and Greg. It’s tough for an old lion to pass on the mantle to someone younger. Especially when you have never really appreciated him before. And for Greg, it’s terrifying when you wake up and realize that suddenly “you’re the man”. Our Greg is growing up and Jack is getting old. It’s funny, but sad too. Luckily we still have the original film to cherish. Like a photograph it’s good to remember our glory days.

Rating: First Run Not the best of the three, but worth seeing

The Fighter

What I admire the most about The Fighter is the intimacy of the film. From the very beginning you feel like you’re sitting on the couch in the Eklund-Ward house taking part in a family meeting. Mark Wahlberg (The Other Guys) plays Micky Ward whose half-brother Dicky Eklund was known as the Pride of Lowell. Dicky, played by Christian Bale (Batman Begins) had a promising boxing career, even going the distance with Sugar Ray Leonard, but his drug addiction caused him to piss it away so now the families hope’s are behind Micky.
 
Micky’s seven sisters and one big brother love him dearly, but they are clearly holding him back. His domineering mother is also a hindrance, but her love for both her son’s has created a blind spot. Micky is living in Dicky’s shadow yet the family doesn’t see it. All they want is for him to do well without really seeing what that means and what it takes. Micky is their hope for fame and prosperity, they just don’t know how to help him get there.
 
When Micky meets Charlene, Amy Adams (Enchanted) she immediately catches on to the situation and becomes an advocate for Micky’s career. Now he has nine women fighting over him and he is stuck in the middle. Just as hotheaded as his mom and sisters, Charlene takes them all on creating additional family drama and stress for Micky. With so many women in his life telling him what to do, Micky feels trapped. He also feels obligated to his big brother who has been training him since he was a boy and has taught him everything he knows. He realizes that Dicky’s drug problem is taking him down too, but he’s loathe to be disloyal to family. Micky is ready to give it all up which would be a shame because the man has talent and is an excellent boxer.
 
This true-life story feels more like a family drama than a boxing film, but that’s its beauty and its strength. There’s no cliché bookies, or mobsters, or criminals trying to get him to throw a fight. Micky’s obstacle is his own family and his insecurity. He needs to find the courage to be his own man and fight for what’s best for him. Once that’s done, facing an opponent in the ring will be the easy thing.
 
Melissa Leo (Frozen River) is phenomenal as Mama Ward. She is a tigress and the fiercest fighter in the family. And Christian Bale is giving us one of the best performances of his career. His portrayal is spot-on especially when you see clips of the real Dicky Eklund at the end of the film. You can see how much Bale put in to this role, he captured the essence of Dicky.
 
Amy Adams is also excellent as Micky’s girlfriend. Her fearlessness in fighting for her man gave him the courage to stand up for himself. But ultimately what he really wanted was the best training and his family too. Luckily, Charlene and all those who loved him were able to compromise and give him both. With everyone working together there was no way he could lose and as we all know Micky is now the new Pride of Lowell and his big brother couldn’t be happier.

Rating: First Run A new addition to great boxing films

The Tourist

Venice is one of those fascinating cities that I’ve always dreamed of visiting one day. With its canals, condolers, and reputation for beauty I have often found myself standing in front of Bellotto’s painting of the Grand Canal trying to wish myself into its canvas. I’m also a big fan of the movie Dangerous Beauty, which is set in Venice during its peak of European influence. So it is a mystery to me why I didn’t love The Tourist. I found it about as exciting as a slide show presentation.
 
I loved the Venetian setting of the film and Angelina Jolie (Changeling) is beautiful to watch, but when you compare the action in this film to other films she’s done such as Salt, Mr. & Mrs. Smith or Laura Croft:Tomb Raider, it felt like everything was in slow-motion. Now I realize that Angelina is not supposed to be a spy in this film and that Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean) is supposed to be a math teacher, but I still expected a little more suspense. When Angelina was rescuing Johnny by dragging his unpiloted speedboat behind hers in the canal, it felt like they were going 15 miles per hour. If they could dodge the bullets, their biggest hazard would be hitting a wall or the pilling of a dock. Whew! Scary!
 
When we see Johnny Depp run across the rooftops in his bare feet and pajamas, I was more concerned for the people down below who might have been hit by the broken tiles. I just didn’t buy into the danger. The villain is a British gangster, Steven Berkoff (A Clockwork Orange) who surrounds himself with Russian thugs, and then there is Paul Bettany (Legion) as the British agent who was out to unmask the elusive criminal who is attached to Angelina Jolie. No one knows what he looks like, not even her since his millions of dollars worth of plastic surgery. He has been underground for quite a while eluding both the police and the man he’s stolen from. Now he wants to re-connect with the woman he loves and Angelina’s Elise has agreed to meet up with him.

Spy movies have been elevated to new expectations by films like the Jason Bourne series. We are no longer satisfied with tuxedos and exotic locales. If you are not going to give us big stunts and nail biting action, then we need sophistication, wit and a mind-blowing plot twist. When it comes to explosive spy movies, The Tourist delivered a pop instead of a bang. I wanted to play with cherry bombs and I was handed a sparkler.  Still fun, but it didn’t meet my expectations.
 
Rating: Bargain Matinee Pretty to look at, but no spark
 

The Black Swan

I’ve been performing or have been around performers since I was twelve years old and it fascinates me how some people make it and others don’t. I can tell you with complete authority that it is not the most talented people that make it in this business, it’s something else and it’s hard to define. In the Black Swan, Natalie Portman (The Other Boleyn Girl) plays Nina Sayers, a seasoned prima ballerina. Technically she is the most proficient dancer in the company, but her drive for perfection often causes her to disconnect emotionally with her characters. She comes off cool and fails to draw on that human spirit that we find so attractive. Her lack of charisma has kept in her supporting roles. But now that the star of the company is retiring, Winona Ryder (Heathers), Nina is finally getting her big chance.
 
Vincent Cassell (Mesrine: Killer Instinct) who is the master of scary-sexy, plays Thomas Leroy the director of the ballet company. He is so confident in his abilities as a director that he thinks he can manipulate a performance out of Nina. If he can combine her artistic proficiency with a truly passionate delivery he would have the makings of a huge star. But what he doesn’t know is the emotional damage that has been inflicted on Nina by her controlling mother, Barbara Hershey (Beaches). Nina wants more than anything to play the white swan, but the black swan is out of her comfort zone and it terrifies her. When a new ballerina joins the company, Mila Kunis (Book of Eli) she becomes Nina’s rival. Technically, Lily is an inferior dancer but she possesses a joy and a passion that Nina lacks. When Lily becomes Nina’s understudy, Nina’s fear and insecurity fractures her psyche and her grasp on reality begins to slip.
 
Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) supplies this psychological thriller with myriads of dark imagery, which helps us enter in to Nina’s world. It is so complex that at times you are not sure what you are seeing which adds a horror component to the mix. This is a film that invites a second viewing, for by the end you begin to question what you’ve really seen. Like black and white this film is full of contrast and satisfies you intellectually on many levels. The performances are riveting, it is beautifully filmed and the script gives you plenty to ponder. This Black Swan is sexy, smart and terrifying. It will make a unforgettable night in the theatre.

Rating: First Run Sexy, smart and terrifying
 

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

Are you one of those people that have a hard time around Christmas with all the fake snow, commercialism and Coca-Cola Santa Clauses? Well, I have the film for you! From the land of the original Santa Claus comes Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale. Once you see this film you’ll never think of Old Nick the same way again.

In the land of the far north a rich American is financing an archeological dig on Korvatunturi Mountain. Only Korvatunturi is not a real mountain, but the largest man-made burial chamber in the world. The incessant digging and blasting is stirring up the wolves and ruining the annual reindeer hunt. The locals are furious because their incomes rely these deer and their whole community is at risk. But if they only knew how much. There is a secret buried under the earth and he’s not jolly and his helpers are not small little men. So you better watch out, you better not cry! Santa Clause is coming to town.

Rating: First Run What a delightful way for the Finnish people to reclaim their Santa

The Next Three Days

Escape movies come in many forms. There are prisoner of war movies like The Great Escape or Stalag 17, action films like Con Air or the futuristic Escape from New York. There are even true stories like Papillon or Midnight Express. But what makes The Next Three Days unique is that it is not about a criminal, a political prisoner or a soldier, it is about a housewife and a schoolteacher, ordinary people who have been put in extraordinary circumstances.
 
Elizabeth Banks (4o Year Old Virgin) plays a wife and mother who had a very bad day and publicly fought with her boss. When her boss ends up dead in a parking structure that she was just seen leaving, she is convicted of murder and placed in jail. Russell Crowe (Gladiator) plays her husband and he is convinced that she is innocent even when all the evidence says otherwise. He believes in his wife and refuses to give up, fighting for her release until all avenues have been exhausted. Financially ruined he is grasping at straws when his despondent wife tries to commit suicide. In a tearful pledge he makes a promise to her, “This will not be your life.”
 
Russell Crowe’s John Brennan is not a criminal, or a military man, up to now he has had no experience with the justice system. He doesn’t have the background or the training to pull off a prison break, but he does have the determination. Taking the scholarly approach, John Brennan does his homework. He reads, searches the Internet, explores historical escapes and interviews an ex-con (Liam Neeson) who has escaped multiple times and has written a book about it. John even discusses great escapes in literature with his students borrowing from their research and dissecting their ideas. He is becoming an expert on prison escapes, now he just needs to find the nerve.
 
What made this film interesting for me is its relate ability. What if my loved one was in prison? Could I summon the courage to break them out? Could I master the technology, lie and manipulate in order to free a loved one? What if it was a Red Dawn situation where an invading force was holding my family, could I be conniving and deceptive for the right cause? I enjoyed exercising this premise and I found Russell Crowe quite believable in this role.
 
Another plus for this film is that the John Q. Public element makes the chase scenes even more harrowing because these are not hardened criminals escaping the law, it’s John and Lara who live down the street. It’s my teacher, my co-worker or my uncle, if I saw this on the news I would be shocked and dumbfounded. These are not bad guys, it’s you and me. I found this approach fresh and interesting. I really liked what Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby) has done with this film and in case I ever have to I’m planning my escape right now; just in case.

Rating: First Run A new twist on the prison escape

Love and Other Drugs

We meet thousands of people in our lives but it only takes one to change it. This sentiment is reflected in the story of Jamie Randall, Jake Gyllenhaal (Brokeback Mountain) who is the brilliant son of a doctor. Instead of following his father’s footsteps into medicine, he drops out of school and hones his skills as an electronics salesman. He happens to be great at it, mainly because he can charm the pants off of anyone with two x chromosomes. Young or old, they all fall for Jamie. But when Maggie Murdock, Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married) enters his life things begin to change. For the first time in his life, he actually cares for someone. He finds the courageous Maggie beautiful and intriguing.
 
At this point in the story, Jamie has been fired from his electronics job for screwing a female associate at work. His brother gets him another job as a pharmaceutical rep and the clincher is the big money he can make by doing it well. This time around his charm is aimed at receptionists and office managers. In this arena his sexual prowess is a plus and his time spent in med-school gives him an edge on understanding his products and the vocabulary to communicate with doctors. Now he just has to take the sales leader down and earn himself a spot in the prime market of Chicago. Only success will get him out of his assignment in Ohio.
 
When Jamie meets Maggie, Dr. Stan Knight, Hank Azaria (The Simpsons) is examining her in order to refill her medication. Maggie has Parkinson’s disease and Jamie admires her humor, wit and victimless attitude. When she spots him in the parking lot later and realizes that he is not an intern but a drug rep, she hits him up the side of his head for taking advantage of her and witnessing her nakedness. When his apology has no effect and all his other plays fail, Jamie becomes determined to win her over. This develops in to a romance where both of them get in deeper than they intended.
 
Love and Other Drugs is about a dying woman, but instead of being melodramatic it is surprisingly funny. Anne Hathaway gives dignity and fight to Maggie and shows us a woman who is afraid of losing herself and therefore fights even harder to live. Jake Gyllenhaal shows us a guy who has suddenly learned what it is to care about someone and all about the pain and drama that goes with it. For once Maggie finds a guy that is more screwed up than she is and as much as she tries to push him away, for once he’s not going anywhere.

Set in the world of multi-trillion dollar pharmaceutical sales, Love and Other Drugs is about getting through life any way you can. Whether it is drugs, sex, or actually finding someone who can support you, we all need a little help in life to get us through the day. This film shows us how two egocentric people can grow, change and learn to see beyond their own pain and what its like to give to others. Jake and Anne really get a chance to stretch here and both give remarkable performances. Don’t go expecting a soap opera, this film is full of humor and life and like Viagra, it will get your hopes up.

Rating: First Run The charming duo of Jake and Anne, together again
 
 

White Material

There have been other films about the conflict in Africa between the white colonists who have lived there for generations and the newly empowered black leaders who are fighting to stay in power. Between corruption, racial tension and the ethnic clashes between tribes and rebels, Africa has become a very dangerous place. But what makes this film a little different is that it seems to focus on one really bad day and one very stubborn white woman.
 
Isabelle Huppert (I Heart Huckabees) plays the daughter-in-law of a French plantation owner. Unhappy in her marriage she has thrown herself completely into the running of their coffee farm. She is very capable and a tireless worker, which really cast a poor light on her disinterested husband and her lazy, spoiled son. Her ailing father-in-law essentially has promised her the farm after his death. He has noticed that his son’s heart is elsewhere.
 
When a political coup takes place and rebels are ravaging the countryside, Madame Vial is instructed personally through a megaphone from a helicopter to get out before it’s too late. But Maria is stubborn. They’ve been through this before. Africa is always having political dust-ups. In her mind, the crop is ready and needs to be harvested. She refuses to throw an entire year’s work away. When she can’t find her husband, she gathers some cash to hire some workers in town to replace the ones that have already fled. When she reaches town to pick up her father-in-law’s meds, she see that things are much worse than she anticipated. She hires some workers anyway and heads back to her beloved plantation. This is a day when she’ll discover how much she is really alone.
 
White Material allows Isabelle Huppert to give a tour de force performance, but other than that it gives us no real insight into the political situation. The blacks resent the whites and the servitude that their poverty has led them to. On the other hand, when the blacks have the money and power, they are often worse. This injustice is what leads to rebellion and the in fighting between the African people. As a result, children are becoming soldiers and fighting behind rebel leaders who manipulate and use them for their own purposes. All the children want is to carve out a place for themselves in their own country. They are just looking for a place to belong.
 
White Material is like a Greek tragedy in that no one wins and violence begets violence. It is not an easy film to watch and the injustice shown is like a slap in the face. We don’t know how the story ends other than it ends badly. Is coffee worth dying for? Is land? That question is asked a lot in this film and it is never really answered.
 
Rating: First Run Good film, but only if you like hopeless situations
 

Megamind

What if Superman had a brother? Megamind is a nature vs. nurture tale that centers on two alien babies that are placed in pods by their parents and lauched to earth when their respective planets are destroyed. One baby lands on the doorstep of a massive mansion and the other crashes into the exercise yard of a maximum-security prison for the criminally smart. Metro Man, Brad Pitt (Inglourious Basterds) grows up with a silver spoon in his mouth and every advantage in the world and Megamind, Will Ferrell (The Other Guys) grows up with the demented worldview of convicts, bullies and sociopaths.

Unlike Megamind who was born blue, Metro Man was fortunate enough to appear human. With his handsome face and strong physique he is beloved by all for his crime fighting and life saving endeavors. Megamind on the other hand is ridiculed, teased and treated like an outcast. He finally comes to the conclusion that the only thing he’s good at is being bad so he decides to be the archest villain ever. The two are mortal enemies.

On the day that the city is dedicating a museum to honor their savior Metro Man, Megamind is in place to destroy his nemesis once and for all. A television reporter played by Tina Fey (30 Rock) is Metro Man’s biggest fan. But Megamind is in love with her. He’s kidnapped her so many times only to have Metro Man rescue her that she has gotten blasé about the whole thing. But this time something goes terribly wrong. This time Megamind is successful and Metro Man is dead. Everyone including Megamind is stunned.

With Metro Man out of the way Megamind now rules the city, but without any challenges, he soon becomes bored. Roxanne Ritchie, the reporter, still won’t have anything to do with him, and Megamind now realizes how much he really enjoyed fighting. To fill the void he creates a new superhero by empowering a lowly cameraman, Johan Hill (Superbad) with super powers. Unfortunately the newly created Titan refuses to use his powers for good and becomes just as much of a villain as Megamind. This throws off the superhero eco-system and Megamind must correct what he started. Meanwhile he’s still trying to win the heart of the fair Roxanne. Megamind is the ultimate bad boy.

Rating: First Run Free Megamind

Tangled

Disney is one of the smartest marketing companies in the business. From the very beginning when they released a full-length animated film, after its initial run, they would lock it away in their vault, and after a time, roll it out again for a whole new generation. This strategy has allowed them to profit greatly by re-releasing the same film over and over. The downside of this plan is that remakes are out of the question. Unlike some of Disney’s live action films which have been remade with contemporary spins, the animated films are considered classics and un-touchable. This brings on a new problem; Disney is running out of fairytales.

The story of Rapunzel has been in the development stage for a very long time. Disney has been trying to figure out a way to take a story about kidnapping and bondage and make it lighter and family friendly. After bringing in writer Dan Fogelman (Cars) and directors Nathan Greno (1st feature) and Byron Howard (Bolt) they finally cracked the code and I’m happy to say that the final product is delightful.

What I enjoyed the most about Tangled is that Disney created a character called Flynn Rider who is a brash, adrenalin-junkie thief. He considers himself quite handsome and dashing so he is disappointed when his charms do not work on Rapunzel. Rapunzel, instead of being a shy, wistful, someday my prince will come type of gal is bright, cheerful, and imaginative. Instead of brooding in her tower of imprisonment, she has been told that she is there for her protection. She is supplied with toys, games, paints, and even has an animal companion. She can do anything she wants except leave. Her tower is far from a dark and gloomy prison, rather it is play land for her imagination.

Rapunzel’s keeper, who she only knows as mother, is holding her prisoner for the magic powers of her hair. When Mother Gothel, Donna Murphy (Spiderman 2) brushes Rapunzel’s hair she receives great healing power and the gift of youth. This is why Mother Gothel kidnapped the princess and stole her from the king and queen. She knew the secret of the infant's tresses and wanted to remain young forever.

Mandy Moore (The Princess Diaries) gives Rapunzel a lot of verve and Zachary Levi (Chuck) gives Flynn the demeanor of a charming rogue. The back and forth banter between them is refreshing and cute, not unlike a live action romantic comedy. Rapunzel isn’t interested in his sex appeal; she just needs a guide to the outside world. She gets the upper hand on him and makes him promise to escort her to see the lights and get her back home before her mother returns. Every year on her birthday Rapunzel has seen strange lights in the sky and wants to know where they come form. She feels a connection with these lights, like they are meant for her and she wants more than anything to see them up close. But her mother has filled her head with horror stories about the outside world. There are monsters, villains and men with sharp teeth. They want to take her and steal her magic hair. That is why she is only safe in the tower. Rapunzel could never survive out in the real world, she is only safe here with her mum.

Like any teenager, Rapunzel begins to question the rules and restrictions that have been placed on her since birth. She runs away with Flynn and has a series of harrowing adventures. The world is indeed dangerous, but Rapunzel discovers her own cunning and resourcefulness. She is invigorated by her newfound freedom and is reveling in it all. She is however in real danger, especially after Mother Gothel discovers she is gone. Rapunzel and Flynn must stick together in order to survive the perils that now face them. Flynn is, after all, a wanted man. They are clearly operating outside of the law.

Even though I loved the banter between our two leads, one of the most hilarious characters in the film never utters a single word. He is a horse named Maximus and he is bound and determined to track down the outlaw Flynn. Maximus is the funniest creature that Disney has created in a long time. His animation is brilliant and his gags are clever and full of wit. He steals every scene he is in and had me laughing throughout the entire film. Rapunzel’s chameleon friend is also fun but a little more predictable. What made the horse so successful was his un-horse like behavior. He was extraordinary because he was surprising.

Disney makes a fortune marketing their princesses and so they weren’t going to release Rapunzel until they got everything just right. After the wait, Rapunzel makes a fine addiction to the princess club and I like that she is shown as strong and resourceful right from the beginning. She is never perceived as a victim, just someone who was fooled and duped. And by adding Flynn and Mother Gothel, this film really works. I think Disney has done an excellent job.

Rating: First Run Rapunzel lets down her hair