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REVIEWS PREVIEWS: A pleasant diversion
The mouse is in the house, again. But only for 78 minutes. And in the brief Stuart Little 2, Stuart Little (voice of Michael J. Fox) rushes, or scurries, through a pretty functional tale.
It does have a cute angle, though. Stuart, the sweet-natured white mouse who has been adopted by a human family, the Littles, is driving to school in his pint-size car when wham! a bird lands in the passenger seat.
Not just any bird, mind you. We’re talking a sweet canary with a broken wing and a cute voice (Melanie Griffith at her Betty Boopiest). Her name is Margalo and she’s being chased by a nasty falcon (James Woods).
Stuart takes her into the Littles’ home, where she’s welcomed by the whole family. But the falcon is relentless. And won’t take ‘shoo!’ for an answer. Stuart has to fight to protect his newfound friend, even if it means taking the falcon head-on.
Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, who scripted Ghost, gives us a little bit of everything — Stuart playing soccer with humans, whizzing around the house in that model plane, fighting falcons and the works. This is all the done over stuff that was so watchable the first time. But at least it’s nonlethal entertainment. There’s no hideous violence, cursing or other PG- 13 horrors. And every little acting moment we can squeeze out of Michael J. Fox, who is battling valiantly with Parkinson’s disease, has become increasingly precious. The movie does contain some mildly strong language.—Dawn/The Washington Post
Freaky creatures
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The residents of a rural mining town discover that a chemical spill has caused hundreds of little spiders to mutate overnight. Terrorizing the townspeople, the spiders are now the size of cars and trucks.Mining engineer Chris McCormack (David Arquette) with the help of the local sheriff, Sam Parker, tries to stop these creatures by mobilizing the townspeople to battle against the bloodthirsty eight-legged beasts. Prankster Arquette tones down his funny man routine in Eight Legged Freaks and takes on the role of the humble hero. Famous comedian Doug e Doug delivers some of the movie’s funniest lines.
New Zealander Ellory Elkayem has written and directed the film, a sort of sci-fi thriller similar to Earth vs. the Spider. The jokes lessen the spiders’ terror, making the king-sized monsters seem more like a practical joke than a potentially annihilating threat. And although the movie is 99 minutes long, the film moves so quickly that it doesn’t have time to bore. A simple and mildly entertaining movie that is bigger on laughs than scares.—HQK
Boxing egos
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Of all the aimless movies of the world, Undisputed stands the most prominent. Starring Ving Rhames Jones and Wesley Snipes, the story is about two boxing champs and their hurt egos.In California, the Watergate County Jail is the place where murderers, rapists con-artists and other heinous law breakers are kept. The jail also has its own boxing arena where inmates fight proper boxing matches among themselves, which usually go on without any problems. Everything is normal until word arrives that the heavyweight boxing champion of the world, ‘Iceman’ (Rhames) is arriving in the same lockup. Iceman is convicted of rape, a charge he formally denies. Once inside the cell, Iceman with his attitude earns himself a reputation throughout the prison, especially with the local champion (Snipes). He becomes the most hated man and ends up in the ring fighting Snipes for his jail title.
The movie is best recommended to while away the time.That’s the only thing its good for.—K.A
Friends for life
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A story about love, family, a mother, her daughter, troubled relationships and friends who stick by you through it all, The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood tells the heart-warming tale of a mother and daughter relationship. In this adaptation of Rebecca Wells popular 1996 novel (of the same name), when Sidda (Sandra Bullock) decides that she’s had enough of eccentric and self-absorbed mothers tantrums and the hostility between mother and daughter gets out of hand, Vivis (Ellen Burstyn, and played in youth by Ashley Judd) lifelong friends, also known as the Ya-Ya Sisters decide to intervene. Using rather unconventional tactics, the three friends (played by Maggie Smith, Fionnula Flanagan and Shirley Knight) fly Sidda from New York back to Louisiana holding her hostage and forcing her to learn about the secrets of the Ya-Ya sisters and understand the life her mother led and the woman she became. What follows are a series of trips down memory lane leaving a lasting impression of the invincible healing bond of friendship between the women who call themselves Ya-Ya priestesses.Though the movie is definitely entertaining and enchanting, one expecting the revelation of truly deep, dark and divine secrets, does wonders at the end what exactly all the fuss was about.—S.M.
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