Movies

BY: LEE RICE

Let me start by saying that I liked "Borat." For me, that movie was brilliant because Sacha Baron Cohen used a walking, talking stereotype to confront Americans with their views on people from the Middle East. When he was dealing with people who were intolerant, he underplayed things, slowly raising the stakes as they exposed their own ignorance. When he was dealing with people he thought would be more accepting and helpful, he overplayed the ‘confused foreigner’ angle to see how far he could push them before they were unable to keep their composure. It was funny, and it actually provided an interesting look at a side of America that is rarely dragged into the light.

BY: LEE RICE

Although it’s about a bunch of talking rodents/secret agents, "G-Force" somehow still managed to surprise me by how little there was to the plot.

CORALINE

By: Lee Rice

In a sea of remakes, sequels, and prequels, genuinely original ideas are increasingly hard to find. Those bored with the increasing tedium at the box offices should take a chance to see "Coraline," the new stop-motion animation feature from one of the creators of "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

FAST & FURIOUS

By: Lee Rice

Fast cars, beautiful women, and Vin Diesel in a role from the days before he was reduced to doing dreck like Babylon A.D.

What’s not to like?

Everything else.

‘Fast & Furious’ lives up to its title, packing its run time with frenetically-shot car chases that are admittedly a cut above other action fare that I’ve seen lately, but real problems arise when the film fails to deliver any real character development or a decent story.

THE WATCHMEN

By: Lee Rice

In an industry already inundated with comic book movies, it seems rather odd that "Watchmen," the supposedly unadaptable graphic novel by comics guru Alan Moore, ever got made.

Back in the 1980’s, Moore decided to challenge pretty much every comic book stereotype known to man, exploring not only what the world would be like if superheroes existed, but asking what those heroes might actually be like.

MY BEST FRIEND’S GIRL

By: Lee Rice

After the release of ‘There’s Something About Mary,’ pretty much every major studio jumped on the romantic comedy bandwagon for a solid slate of releases along the same lines. It also cemented Ben Stiller’s career as one of the reigning kings of romance, leading to the recent ‘Heartbreak Kid,’ one of the most idiotic romance movies of all time.

Well move over, ‘Heartbreak,’ because there’s a new kid in town.

The Happening

By: Lee Rice

Although his new film is about a wave of unexplained mass suicides, M. Night Shyamalan’s “The Happening” thankfully won’t make audiences follow suit.

BY: LEE RICE

Although the splendor of Vatican City really shines in ‘Angels & Demons,’ the scenery is the only thing that manages to keep the viewers attention away from the undercooked character development, apocalyptic pseudo-science, and mind-sapping exposition.

BY: LEE RICE

Although it has a few funny moments, the laughs are few and far between in ‘Land of the Lost,’ the new, comedic adaptation of a popular 1970’s television series.

The basic premise remains the same, people fall through a time portal, get stuck in a pocket dimension filled with people and objects from the past, present and future, and adventure ensues.

Disney and Pixar studios have given some great family entertainment over the years, including “The Incredibles,” “Toy Story,” and “Finding Nemo.” What most people don’t know about these projects is that all of them supposedly sprang from one gigantic brainstorming session. “WALL-E” is the last of the projects created at that brilliant meeting, and it upholds the high bar set by its predecessors.