MEET DAVE would be entirely harmless if it weren’t for the perfunctory feel of it all. Murphy is not the physical comedian necessary to pull this off, and without a solid script to back him up, it’s got nothing to recommend it except maybe that actor in a frogman suit clinging madly to a giant… Read More »
SHREK FOREVER AFTER
The magic is back. SHREK FOREVER AFTER has recaptured everything that made the original so great, including the attitude of William Steig, the author of the original Shrek book, while keeping those elements that worked in the subsequent installments. Which is to say, there is nothing of the third to be found here. Shrek (Mike… Read More »
I SPY
Leaving aside I SPYs misogynist subtext that casts women as either mindless playthings or castrating bitches, lets focus on the real problem. Instead of bouncing along on farce and the chemistry of its co-stars, it chugs along bravely on its formula track to mediocrity. Its not particularly bright, either, so really, the only thing to… Read More »
A THOUSAND WORDS
There is something almost poignant in the way Eddie Murphy so palpably desires to make a meaningful film about enlightenment. The almost comes from the difference between that aspiration and the painfully ill-conceived follow-through in A THOUSAND WORD. This is not Murphy’s first attempt to explore the spiritual side of the human experience. There was… Read More »
DADDY DAY CARE
At one point in DADDY DAY CARE, a character competing for the pre-school business in a prosperous suburb says that she cant compete with fun. That could well be the theme of this movie. After a promising opening the flick quickly devolves into a formula piece whose only surprise is that Eddie Murphy, giving his… Read More »
HAUNTED MANSION, THE
I guess the best thing to do is to say right off the bat that Im a sucker for a tragic love story and THE HAUNTED MANSION has at a juicy one. Its a good move. Like that other film based on an attraction at Disney parks, THE HAUNTED MANSION actually goes to the trouble… Read More »
DREAMGIRLS
If Jennifer Hudson never makes another movie, if she never sings another song, if she drops off the radar tomorrow, her place in cinematic history will nonetheless be cemented forever by her acting debut in DREAMGIRLS. It’s as though fate has conspired to keep the Broadway hit loosely based on the rise of Diana Ross… Read More »