Monsters vs. Aliens

Monsters vs. Aliens - Dir. Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon (2009)


Imagine if the title characters from Attack of the 50ft. Woman, The Blob, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, The Fly, and Mothra all teamed up to fight invaders from space. Dreamworks unleashed yet another CG animated project to the multiplexes which seems to be a seasonal thing. Monsters vs. Aliens seems to have sprung from the minds of fanboys who cherish their bootleg copies of black & white B-movies and back-issues of MAD Magazine. It’s light on plot, but the kind of fun film that kinds will definitely enjoy and it won’t bore or annoy the adults.

Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) is about to get married to Derek (Paul Rudd), a self-absorbed weatherman who is about to go to the big show in Fresno. Suddenly, a meteor from outer space conks Susan on the head and mutates her to just one inch shy of 50 feet. She’s captured by the military and shipped off to Area 51 which is under the command of Gen. W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland). For decades, Gen. Monger has been collecting monsters including fish-man the Missing Link (Will Arnett), the gelatinous B.O.B. (Seth Rogen), mad scientist Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), and an enormous bug known only as Insectasaurus. Together, they are man’s only hope against the evil alien warlord Galaxhar (Rainn Wilson).

Monsters vs. Aliens has all the trappings of the typical modern animated film with its all-star cast and numerous pop culture references. Aside from the original Shrek, Dreamworks hasn’t been able to match the heartfelt substance that their rivals at Pixar have repeatedly instilled in their films. The closest they’ve come was through their brief partnership with Aardman Studios which produced the charming Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and the underrated Flushed Away. No, most have been the same cookie-cutter talking animal pictures. Monsters vs. Aliens does stand out with its high-concept story though it takes a simplistic popcorn film approach to telling it. It touches on themes of friendship, alienation, and female empowerment yet is unable to fully explore them. The animation is, of course, exceptional. I’m afraid to admit I didn’t get the chance to view it in 3D. In one scene, the filmmakers are wryly self-reflexive to the process when they show a technician playing paddle ball.

The voice-over cast is good and none of the players feel like they were stunt cast. From Dr. House to Dr. Cockroach, Hugh Laurie seems like he’s having the most fun while Will Arnett channels his Gob Bluth character for the Missing Link. Seth Rogen, who is apparently contractually obligated to be in every movie made now, gets off some of the best one-liners and non-sequitors as the dim-witted B.O.B.

Rating: **1/2

Appaloosa

Appaloosa - Dir. Ed Harris (2008)


Ed Harris & Viggo Mortensen as a pair of lawmen cleaning up a small town under the iron fist of a greedy landowner.

Appaloosa isn’t the artsy Western (The Proposition, Seraphim Falls) or the shoot ‘em up Western like last year’s 3:10 to Yuma. It lies somewhere in the middle, focusing on characters and relationships. In the parlance of the time, it’s a film that moseys along at a comfortable pace.

Is there anybody better to play the gruff, taciturn sheriff than Ed Harris? He has great chemistry (and a wealth of one-liners) with co-star Viggo Mortensen as his square-jawed deputy. Jeremy Irons rounds out the main cast with an always welcome turn as the murderous villain. If there is a weak spot to Appaloosa, it lies with Renee Zellweger as a piano playing widow who latches on to Harris’ Vigil Cole (and anyone else she deems the alpha male). Zellweger is usually a competent actress, but struggles whenever she’s cast in these period pieces. She doesn’t fit and I don’t buy for one second that every man in the film wants her.

Appaloosa is old hat, but it’s a well-worn and comfortable hat.

Rating: ***

Leatherheads

Leatherheads - Dir. George Clooney (2008)

An overly laborious effort in replicating the cheeky & snappy voices of George Cukor, Preston Sturges, and Howard Hawks. Lacks any genuine sense of wit or on-screen chemistry.

Clooney may be Cary Grant, but Renee Zellwegger is no Rosalind Russell.