The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the second movie from C.S. Lewis’ Narnia trilogy opened Friday the 16th of May, nationwide.  If you are in downtown Seattle you can catch it at Regal Meridian 16. 

What is it? Four siblings, two brothers and two sisters are magically transported from the London Underground (during World War II) to the fantastical realm of Narnia - where they had previously lived alternate lives as Kings and Queens (the subject matter of the first movie), and they are called upon to once again save the day and the land.  You do not need to have seen the first movie for the second movie to make sense.

At its BEST (7.5): Its a fairy tale of good and evil, talking woodland creatures, mythical beasts, magic, evil tyrants and marauding armies of knights and catapults (or, more accurately trebuchets).  The story is simple yet entertaining, and the effects, costumes and scenery are lavish and wondrous.  The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian is not too complicated or dark, making it a great movie for kids.

At its WORST (5.5): It never really reaches any sort of crescendo; it plods along and even drags at times.  There is almost no character development at all and it tries very hard to stay away from the fact that this is a sequel - meaning the characters can, and probably should, be built upon.  There is just an obvious lack of real excitement, tension or energy in this movie.  It does look nice, but if you are over the age of 12, it may fail completely to interest you.

Others like it: Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings (much better than Narnia), Willow, Spiderwick Chronicles

Who’s in it? Other than the voices of Eddie Izzard (The Riches (TV), My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Ocean’s 13) and Liam Neeson (Star Wars: Episode I, Rob Roy, Kinsey), the stars (the four kids and Prince Caspian) are relative unknowns.

Who Directed it? Andrew Adamson (Shrek, Shrek 2, Chronicles of Narnia) also wrote the screenplay for this and the first Narnia film. 

How Long is it? 140 minutes

Phil’s Thoughts: Even though the film looks really nice and it has 2 hours and 20 minutes to tell its story, it lacked depth and detail.  I was only moderately entertained, and I never got excited.  The bad guy wasn’t that bad, the evil army was never really threatening, and the battle was anticlimactic. There wasn’t enough plot or character development for me, at all.  In the end, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian just lacked “oomph!” and really dragged as well in several places.  However, I think for a family (specifially the kids) it is a really good choice of late spring movie.

GUEST BLOGGER: PT

Speed Racer at the Boeing IMAX theatre and Pacific Place

What Is it? A boy (Speed Racer) who was born to race cars and go fast battles the forces of the evil corporate sponsors. Based on the 1967 Japanese Anime series - brought back in the 1990s.

How long is it? 135 minutes

At its Best: (9.5) Outstanding filmmaking, exciting action, over-the-top visual effects, brilliant colors (a truly one-of-a-kind visual experience), the best of what Speed Racer ever was, amplified for the big screen.  An amazing production that really is unlike anything you have ever seen.  It is campy without being ridiculous and it’s comic-booky without being too dumb.  The acting is impressive considering the type of movie this is, and the story is tight.  It has drama as well as action; solid character development and some good comic relief. Very enjoyable, without any holes.

At its Worst: (6) Speed Racer drags in some places and is very long - seemingly much longer than the 2hr 15min it is.  The driving sequences are fun, but they could have been more interesting and start to feel a little repetitive by the end.  The attempts at comic relief are too campy and too stupid to be truly funny and end up falling a little flat.  The character development is misplaced and takes away from the comic-book feeling of this film. Also, if you sit too close, it could give you a headache.  All in all, fun, but not great.

Who made it? Written and Directed by the very talented Wachowski Brothers (Larry and Andy; and apparently, not brother and sister as many rumors might have you believe), who are also responsible for the Matrix Trilogy and V for Vendetta. 

Who’s in it? Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild and the Girl Next Door), Christina Ricci (Black Snake Moan, Sleepy Hollow), Matthew Fox (Lost, We are Marshall), John Goodman (Roseanne, The Big Lebowski), adn Susan Sarandon (Thelma and Louise, Bull Durham).

What’s like it? Tron (the colors, the action, the campiness), Dick Tracy (the cartoon color scheme and the characters).

What did Phil think: Well…glad you asked.  I loved Speed Racer.  Absolutely and completely.  I think that the Wachowski brothers are incredibly talented filmmakers who take great pains to fuss over the details and keep their movies very tight.  The look and feel of this film is unique and quite stunning.  The acting was solid at all times, and there is always a danger in a film like this that the acting and story are merely incidental to the action and the effects - not so in this case.  It completely worked for me.  I did see this movie with two others who (1) liked it and (2) liked it a lot.  Neither of my fellow movie goers liked it as much as I did, but they were both entertained; and, there was agreement that seeing it at the IMAX theatre was a great move. 

GUEST BLOGGER: S.P. MISKOWSKI

In a perfect world, the good relationships we’ve lost would get a second chance. With grace, an engaging cast, and impressive technical expertise, Seattle director Lynn Shelton offers a vivid tale of friendship between two men who have every reason to grow apart in drama My Effortless Brilliance.

Novelist Eric Lambert Jones (Sean Nelson of local band Harvey Danger) decides to use his latest book tour as an excuse to drop in on estranged buddy Dylan (Basil Harris) who leads a rustic existence in a cabin in eastern Washington. They are joined for booze, late night conversation, and a shambling cougar hunt by Dylan’s friend Jim (Calvin Reeder), whose presence further demonstrates the gap that is widening between the two men.

The film is layered with carefully devised character histories, created by Shelton in discussion with the actors. Yet the dialog has been improvised within each scene. The result is a joyously fresh and moving story with the best of both worlds- a solid structure and playful, believable interactions. The silences between characters are given as much respect as their words. In the balance, there is a spoken and unspoken truth, a sense of both the inadequacy of speech and its necessity for human comfort.

Jeanette Maus completes the cast, with a charming comic turn as an enthusiastic book tour interviewer.

My Effortless Brilliance is a delightful reminder that we often like people for strange and subterranean reasons. We may not be able to justify them. We may have nothing in common. Yet when we meet–even after years–the conversation picks up mid-syllable. For better or worse, we understand one another. Where do we assign such friendships in our lives? 

Screening of My Effortless Brilliance at the Seattle International Film Festival takes place on Saturday, May 24th at 9:30PM and on Monday, May 26th at 4:00PM, at the Egyptian Theatre.

GUEST BLOGGER: PT

Iron Man opens today around the country, and more importantly, at Cinerama, here in Seattle. I know that this film is in fact playing at many other area cinemas {ones that you should all rush out and patronize this instant}, but when you are looking for a midnight show of the latest action-packed blockbuster (the night before everyone else goes to see it on it’s “opening night”) then you must seek out Cinerama. Now that I have adequately thanked Cinerama for allowing me to see Iron Man at midnight on May 1st/2nd…I move on.

Film Forecasts…this new format is something I call a “Film Forecast.” It is meant to give the reader an idea of how he or she might enjoy a particular film. It is specifically designed NOT TO: (1) spoil the movie by forcing the reader to inexorably march through an overly revealing scene-by-scene recap of the film; (2) tell you that my opinion is more accurate than yours and that I have the end-all-and-be-all say as to the quality of any particular movie; and, (3) forget that a bad (i.e. intellectually stunted, hideously campy or just formulaicly pandering) movie can still be fun to watch.

With that, I give you my, ironically, overly biased Forecast for Iron Man…

What is it: A billionaire engineer/arms manufacturer (played by Robert Downey Jr.) has a life altering experience and becomes kind of a super hero.

At its best: Wow! Did I say “wow!” I think that it should be said that at this point it would be appropriate to say…WOW!

Really, At its BEST (10…yes 10; and no, I am not quick to give out 10’s): John Favreau does a wonderfully true-to-form take on the Iron Man lore from the pages of the Marvel comic. It is a blast, literally, from start to finish. Huge laughs, amazing effects, excellent acting, great interplay between the characters, good, evil, strippers, fast cars, and much much more. This is what you want when you go to the movies.

At its WORST (7): Enjoyable, action-packed, solid directing and acting. It’s still a super hero movie at its heart though and can’t escape that fact, leaving it to be a very entertaining action movie, but not “great cinema.”

Others like it: Spider-Man (1 and 2 more than 3), Batman Begins, Hulk (2003), I-Robot (which is not as good).

Who’s in it: Robert Downey Jr. (Zodiac, Chaplain, Only You, Less than Zero), Jeff Bridges (Tucker, Seabiscuit, The Big Lebowski, Starman), Gywneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Sliding Doors, Se7en), Terrence Howard (Hustle and Flow, Idlewild)

Who DIrected it: John Favreau (Elf and Zathura…he also acts (Swingers, Wimbledon, Rudy)

How long is it: 126 minutes

GUEST BLOGGER: PT

Forbidden Kingdom is a fairy tale about an American teenager (played by Michael Angarano); an old-school Chinese adventure where a hero is set free to fight a terrible evil-guy, armed only with the help of talented companions. His friends teach him martial arts as well as what he must do to succeed in his quest. This first time pairing of Jet Li and Jackie Chan is definitely much more of a Jackie Chan-styled picture than a Jet Li flick. The movie has a very Disney-esque feel to it, which is not surprising since it is directed by Rob Minkoff who also directed The Lion King, Stuart Little and Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Woo-Ping Yuen, famed action director from the Matrix and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon choreographs all of the film’s martial arts.

Forbidden Kingdom reminds me of: The Librarian (made for TV adventures with Noah Wiley), Mortal Kombat, Mulan and Bulletproof Monk.

At its BEST: (8) Entertaining, cute, fun, good ‘PG’ martial arts (not too violent), great-for-the-whole-family kind of fun, with enough excitement and action to keep you interested. Enjoyable.

At its WORST: (5.5) Too cute, a little too silly, never hard core enough, too much of a fairy tale and way too American for a martial arts film and a villain that isn’t given the chance to really be evil. Basically more Disney than Golden Harvest (Bruce Lee’s original film production company).

How long is it: 113 minutes

Other tidbits: Forbidden Kingdom is based on the classic Chinese epic tale, “Journey to the West” and is filled with characters from Chinese myths and legends (the Monkey King, the Jade Emperor). This is also the first film that Jackie Chan has been in where he is not the action choreographer. Woo-Png Yuen is an Executive Producer and the Choreographer on this film. His credits (as a fight choreographer) include the Matrix, Kill Bill, Fearless, Unleashed and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.