THE GREATEST SCANDAL IN POLKA HISTORY. The story of Jan Lewan, a charismatic Polish-American performer and entrepreneur who was revealed in 2004 to have been running a Ponzi scheme, has been told in two documentaries. This is the unremarkable but entertaining fictional version. It has the same look and approach as many other movies about … Continue reading The Polka King
THE GAME HAS EVOLVED. Four teenagers are sucked into a mysterious video game that transports them to a jungle where they are physically transformed into the avatars they chose; now they have a mission to complete. A belated sequel to Jumanji (1995) that initially makes a half-hearted stab at connecting with the original, but the … Continue reading Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle
THE FUTURE ISN’T BIG ENOUGH FOR THE BOTH OF THEM. In 2032, violent criminal Simon Phoenix (Wesley Snipes) is thawed from his cryogenic sleep for a parole hearing, but escapes; desperate for help, the police also thaw John Spartan (Sylvester Stallone), Phoenix’s arch-nemesis, a cop sentenced for manslaughter. A futuristic action movie with a sense … Continue reading Demolition Man
THE WEIGHT IS OVER. At the same time as Po is trying to handle his new role as a teacher, he also meets his real father and has to battle a spirit warrior. Another 3D adventure with the panda whose most dangerous nemesis seems to be stairs. Po’s reunited with all the lovable supporting characters … Continue reading Kung Fu Panda 3
A MOVIE ABOUT A MOVIE THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO SEE. After being married for almost a decade, raising kids, Annie and Jay (Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel) spice up their sex life by making a private tape… but it is accidentally uploaded to the cloud. A raunchy comedy that tries to connect to general … Continue reading Sex Tape
A STORY SO UNBELIEVABLE IT MUST BE TRUE. In Carthage, Texas, a local mortician (Jack Black) becomes a companion to a much older, wealthy and generally disliked woman (Shirley MacLaine); when she disappears, the town’s sympathies are not necessarily with her. Richard Linklater based his black comedy on a newspaper article (written by Skip … Continue reading Bernie
EVERYONE IS SEARCHING FOR SOMETHING. Three birders (Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson) keep bumping into each other in remote places; initially reluctant to come clean, they are all secretly doing a Big Year. While Mark Obmascik’s book follows real-life birders who compete against each other, trying to spot as many species as possible all … Continue reading The Big Year
Actor Tim Robbins’s first film as a director was Bob Roberts (1992), a political satire that remains relevant to this day. The movie revealed a filmmaker who was passionate and outspoken about his beliefs, and when Dead Man Walking emerged as his second directorial effort there was reason to believe that he would use the … Continue reading Dead Man Walking: Soul Food
THEY’RE CLOSER THAN YOU THINK. On a visit to Los Angeles, two brothers who are huge fans of the Muppets realize that the old studio closed down years ago… and now the showbiz gang are in danger of losing everything, including their name. The first Muppet movie in 12 years wisely, cleverly and disarmingly acknowledge … Continue reading The Muppets
PREPARE FOR THE RETURN OF AWESOMENESS. When the evil lord of a peacock clan attempts to conquer China, Po and the Furious Five use all their powers to stop him… but the panda is also brutally reminded of his childhood. The first major animated release to be directed by a woman is a 3D adventure … Continue reading Kung Fu Panda 2
BLACK IS THE NEW BIG. After lying about being a travel reporter, mailman Lemuel Gulliver (Jack Black) is sent to the Bermuda Triangle on an assignment and ends up a prisoner in a land of tiny people. The Shark Tale director’s first live action film is so stacked with CGI effects that it almost feels … Continue reading Gulliver’s Travels
In a series of events that became known as the “second Late Night war”, Conan O’Brien was forced to retire from his dream job as host of The Tonight Show in January 2010, six months after succeeding Jay Leno. Suddenly, Leno was back at the helm and O’Brien was left nursing his anger… which became … Continue reading Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
MEET YOUR ANCESTORS. Zed and Oh (Jack Black, Michael Cera), a hunter and a gatherer, are banished from their tribe and embark on an adventure that leads them to the city of Sodom. With Judd Apatow serving as a co-producer, this ancient-times comedy naturally offers male buddies in the leads and various jokes about bodily functions. … Continue reading Year One
