D.C. MOVIE GUYS

There are twenty very entertaining minutes in “Pirates of The Caribbean: At World’s End.”  The problem is you have to wade through two hours and twenty-eight water logged and convoluted minutes to get to them.  Once again the Disney studios have allowed director Gore Verbinski, the man who falls in love with every frame of film he soots, to drag audiences down arabbit hole of red herrings and dead ends that strain the mind, the bladder and the spine.  In other words, skip the jumbo soda and bring a comfy pillow-you’re going to be there awhile.
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“Year of the Dog” is the first film directed by screenwriter and actor Mike White.  Best known for scripting “The Good Girl” with Jennifer Aniston and “Chuck and Buck,” White’s new movie is an unusual mix of comedy and drama.  Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Molly Shannon stars as Peggy Spade, an administrative assistant to a results obsessed marketing executive.  Peggy’ life is slightly humdrum, but she’s happy.  Her favorite companion is her beagle, Pencil. They do just about everything together, including watching movies. (more…)

The summer movie season has blossomed with full force as “Spider Man 3″  has arrived on thousands of screens., several dozen in the Washington area.  There’s really not much I can say that will stop dedicated fans from going-but I do have a few thoughts. f you’re casually interested in seeing it, or plan to take your kids or grandkids (and good for you,) you should know that, plot-wise, this isn’t the best film in the series.  That honor still belongs to the first film. Tobey Maguire’s work as Peter Parker stands out, particularly when a substance from outer space warps his normally mild personality.  He and Kirsten Dunst as his actress girlfriend Mary June, still possess an on screen chemistry that makes their scenes together sweet and touching.   The first two “Spider Man” films were good examples of comic book fantasy effectively mereged with pop culture storytelling at its best.  They were  redeemed by the acting of Maguire, Dunst and supporting actor J.K. Simmons as bombastic newspaper publisher J. Jonah Jameson, as well as by dazzling special effects that augmented, rather than overwhelming, the plot. (more…)

Actress Keri Russell gets the kind of breakout role any performer who feels themselves type-cast after a successful television series (”Felicity”) would love to have in the darkly comic fable “Waitress.”  This sharp witted, yet warm hearted, story of one young woman’s struggle to make a better life for herself is made all the more moving and special by the fact that its talented writer/director, Adrianne Shelly, was murdered after its completion. (more…)

MOVIE REVIEW: “SHREK THE THIRD”

After watching “Shrek the Third,” I have come to a conclusion about sequels. Filmmakers should be forced to stop making series after two films. Mosr second films in blockbuster series are usually entertaining, though lacking in the electricity and freshness of that first film. Some second films-”The Empire Strikes Back,” “Godfather, Part ii” and “Terminator 2:Judgment Day”-do stand out as follow-ups that expand upon the plot lines and characters of the first film while retaining the flavor of the first film. Unfortunately, “Shrek the Third,” while keeping the laughs (mostly) is missing the story and losing the audience. (more…)