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Movie Review: ‘Rio 2’

Rio 2
Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), Jewel (Anne Hathaway) and their music-loving daughter, Carla (Rachel Crow) in ‘Rio 2.’ (Blue Sky Studios-TM © 2013 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation)

“We are all going to the Amazon… Yay,” says a very concerned Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) to his friends Rafael (George Lopez) and Nico (Jamie Foxx) after his former owners Linda (Leslie Mann) and Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) discover the possibility of others of their kind while exploring the jungle. Meanwhile, Jewel (Anne Hathaway) – who was taken from the wild – is up for the adventure and determined to help Linda and Tulio find more Blue Macaws in the animated/adventure sequel Rio 2.

Yearning to take their three kids on a trip and to experience the real wild, Jewel convinces Blu they should travel to the Amazon and help Linda and Tulio find others of their species. She’s excited and hopeful that there could be others while poor Blu is packing his fanny pack to the hilt with bug spray, sporks, and his GPS device.

Unfortunately, it turns out Blu’s old enemy Nigel (Jemaine Clement) survived being sucked into a crashing plane’s engine at the end of the original film but sadly can no longer fly and is performing at a street vendor’s entertainment booth. When he sees Blu, Jewel, and their kids flying off to the Amazon, Nigel escapes from the vendor with the help of Gabi (Kristin Chenoweth), a poisonous frog, as well as an anteater. The ragtag trio take off after Blu and his family in order for Nigel to exact his revenge.

Upon arriving in the Amazon, Blu and Jewel are shocked to discover a whole flock of birds of their species, including Jewel’s father (voiced by Andy Garcia) who is thrilled to be reunited with his little girl and to be able to meet his grandchildren but who has no respect or tolerance for Blu. Desperate to make Jewel happy and get along, Blu puts his best beak forward to try to win over her father and do his best to learn how to survive in the wild.

Lacking originality, uninteresting, and…here’s the kiss of death…boring, Rio 2 is an unnecessary sequel that’s sure to have the audience wishing they were watching the first film again instead of this sequel by the time they reach the halfway point. The script and character development this time out are very disappointing, with Blu – who was funny and likable in the first film – being nothing but a whiny, incompetent pest who’s almost impossible to root for or care about.

The introduction of Jewel’s father and her former boyfriend, who are bland one-dimensional characters, actually takes away time and action from the funny original characters (such as Nico and Rafael) and in hogging the spotlight, the new characters serve to kill any real humor in this sequel. The movie really should have been titled Rio 2: Meet the In-Laws.

The use of 3D is a complete and utter waste, with the format not once giving the audience the feeling of soaring over trees or the ocean or the feeling of plunging over and down a gigantic waterfall. The production numbers are uninspiring and forgettable, and none of the new songs live up to the first film’s soundtrack.

Tedious, with very few laugh-out-loud moments and far too long, Rio 2 will have both children (who at this critic’s screening kept going up and down the stairs and whining for more soda) and adults looking forward to the credits so they can leave and go do something worthwhile and fun.

GRADE: D

Rio 2 opens in theaters on April 11, 2014 and is rated G for all audiences.




NBC Sets a Premiere Date for ‘Rosemary’s Baby’

Rosemary's Baby Premiere Date
Zoe Saldana and Patrick J Adams star in 'Rosemary's Baby' (Photo by: Roger Do Minh/NBC)

NBC is counting on the miniseries Rosemary’s Baby delivering high ratings and has given the retelling of the horror classic a May sweeps week debut. Rosemary’s Baby will air part one on Sunday, May 11, 2014 (which also happens to be Mother’s Day) at 9pm. The conclusion to the miniseries will air on Thursday, May 15.

Rosemary’s Baby is based on the 1967 bestselling book by Ira Levin, which was previously made into a feature film back in 1968. That adaptation was nominated for a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar, earning Ruth Gordon an Academy Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. Roman Polanski directed the horror film with Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, and Sidney Blackmer in starring roles.

The TV miniseries has Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Star Trek) in the title role. Patrick J. Adams, Jason Isaacs and Carole Bouquet also star in the miniseries from director Agnieszka Holland (Treme, The Killing).

The Plot:

Rosemary’s Baby centers on a young married couple who move into a Paris apartment that has a haunted past. After getting pregnant, the wife becomes increasingly suspicious that both her husband and their neighbors will have ulterior motives when her child is born.

Check out the Rosemary’s Baby Photo Gallery

Movie Review: ‘Draft Day’ Starring Kevin Costner

Draft Day Review
Kevin Costner and Jennifer Garner star in 'Draft Day' (Photo: Dale Robinette © 2013 Summit Entertainment, LLC)

Draft Day is a ‘football’ film that has less than 10 minutes of actual gridiron play spread out over its entire running time. If you’re expecting workouts, drills, game footage, or any of the football coverage you’d normally see in a sports movie, your expectations are way off with director Ivan Reitman’s Draft Day. Instead, this dramatic film focuses on front-office maneuverings/shenanigans and is character-driven rather than dependent on the action on the field moving the story along.

As dry as watching an NFL team’s General Manager make decisions leading up to his time on the clock at the NFL Draft sounds, to Reitman and screenwriters Scott Rothman & Rajiv Joseph’s credit Draft Day does hold the audience’s interest. Clever editing and camera work allow a significant amount of scenes featuring Kevin Costner as Sonny Weaver Jr talking to other GMs in different locations to seamlessly and fluidly merge together into frame. Because so much of the dialogue takes place in this manner, Reitman had to come up with different visual tricks to make these phone conversations hold our attention. He succeeds, and Reitman also does a terrific job of pacing the film toward the final act when all of Sonny’s wheeling and dealing plays out during the draft.

However, there are a few missteps that slow the pace down. For some reason, it was decided there needed to be a side-story about Sonny’s relationship with the woman who crunches the numbers for the team (played by Jennifer Garner) and how he’s unwilling to commit even after she’s announced she’s having his baby. The whole pregnancy storyline is not only unnecessary but intrusive, feeling as though it’s been shoved in in order to please a wider demographic. Women love football and really don’t need to have a love story involving a man who’s struggling to come into his own following the death of his popular coach father and a woman who’s strong, independent, and a football fan who just happens to be in love with a co-worker in order to get into Draft Day.

In a way, by inserting this pregnancy angle, Draft Day feels as though it’s playing down to half the audience and the end result is that female football fans could feel patronized. My gut reaction halfway through was that the filmmakers were dumbing down the story by inserting such a silly side plot.

On the upside, Draft Day is loaded with terrific performances. Costner leads the way and is once again his engaging, charming self as he portrays a man who’s always walked in his father’s shadow and is ready to build his own legacy. Garner, who has decent chemistry with Costner, overcomes the unnecessary pregnancy plot line and holds her own in the film’s male-dominated world.

The Bottom Line:

Your enjoyment of Draft Day will be dependent on A) your knowledge of football, B) your ability to put aside expectations of a football film, and C) how much you like Kevin Costner as an actor. Costner’s in just about every scene, and Draft Day rests squarely on his shoulders. And because he’s built up so much goodwill in sports movies over the years, Costner’s able to guide the film over the hurdles thrown up in his way.

While it’s not his best sports film, Draft Day is an engaging behind-the-scenes look at an aspect of football previously unexplored in a feature film.

GRADE: B

Draft Day opens in theaters on April 11, 2014, and is rated PG-13 for brief strong language and sexual references.




Linda Hamilton Will Guest Star on Syfy’s ‘Defiance’

Linda Hamilton stars in Bermuda Tentacles
Linda Hamilton and Rachel Skarsten in a scene from 'Lost Girl' (Photo by: Syfy)

Sci-fi fan fav Linda Hamilton will be taking on a recurring role in season two of Defiance starring Grant Bowler, Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Tony Curran, Jaime Murray, Graham Greene, and Jesse Rath. According to the official casting announcement, Hamilton will play Pilar, Rafe McCawley’s (Graham Greene) wife and the mother of three children.

The official character description: “Separated from her family for a number of years, Pilar has now returned home. Pilar suffered from serious mental illness and in the aftermath of the Votan arrival and subsequent war, did not have access to her medication. With her mental state unchecked, Pilar snapped and tried to murder her children.

Fearing for the family’s safety, Rafe sent her to an institution and told their children she had died. Now Pilar is back with both a steely resolve and a warm, maternal love for her family. But the motives for her return are unclear, and soon Rafe and others in town begin to question where she’s actually been these past years.”

Hamilton’s credits include The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Beauty and the Beast TV series, Mr. Destiny, Silent Fall, and Dante’s Peak.

Other new Defiance cast members this season include James Murray playing the mayor of Defiance, William Atherton as an Earth Republic official, and Anna Hopkins as an Earth Republic soldier.

Defiance will kick off season two on June 19, 2014 at 8pm ET/PT.

The Season 2 Plot: As the story of Defiance resumes, the lives of the townspeople are in drastic turmoil. The Earth Republic has assumed control of the town, with far-reaching consequences including a new mayor. Nolan traverses the badlands to find a lost Irisa, Amanda has an unexpected new role in the town as she searches for Kenya and the Tarr family desperately tries to keep control of their criminal empire in the midst of dramatic changes.




Kevin Smith’s Back with an Animated ‘Jay & Silent Bob’ Movie

Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie Poster and Trailer

Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith are back as Jay and Silent Bob, but in this new outing they’re animated. Available On Demand on May 6, 2014, Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie was written by Kevin Smith, directed by Steve Stark, and captures the vibe of Smith and Mewes’ live-action films.

The Plot:

Stoners Jay and Silent Bob hit the lottery jackpot and use their cash windfall to become crime-fighting superheroes.

Watch the trailer:

First Look: Monkey Kingdom Trailer

Monkey Kingdom Trailer
A scene from 'Monkey Kingdom' (Photo © Disneynature)
This year Disneynature’s concentrating on Bears, but next year it’s all about the monkeys. Disneynature’s sixth theatrical release, Monkey Kingdom, will open in theaters on Earth Day 2015 with Mark Linfield and Alastair Fothergill directing. The first four Disneynature releases are in the top five among feature-length nature films, with film number five in the series – Bears – entering theaters on April 18, 2014.
 
The Plot:
 
Disneynature’s Monkey Kingdom spotlights the gripping reality of a newborn monkey and its mother, struggling to survive within the competitive social hierarchy of the Temple Troop, a dynamic group of monkeys who live in ancient ruins found deep in the storied jungles of South Asia, alongside a rich cast of forest characters. Life is grand, food is plentiful and safety is assured if you’re lucky enough to be born on the higher rungs of the Troop’s social ladder. But this young mother and her infant find themselves in a constant state of hunger, dodging threats from higher-ranking monkeys determined to keep them on their assigned rung. It’ll take a lot of ingenuity, hard work—and a little luck—if this little family hopes to change their place in the world.
 
Watch the trailer:
 

 


 
-By Rebecca Murray

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22 Jump Street Red Band Trailer and Poster

22 Jump Street Red Band Trailer and Poster

An octopus, funky sunglasses, appearances by a couple of guys jailed in 21 Jump Street, and a grenade down Jonah Hill’s shorts…we can only be talking about 22 Jump Street‘s new red band trailer. Red band as in not safe for work. At all. Don’t even play it on low volume when you think no one’s looking; it’s restricted for a good reason, much of which has to do with language.

Opening in theaters on June 13, 2014, 22 Jump Street is led by Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum and features Ice Cube, Peter Stormare, Rob Riggle, and Dave Franco.

The Plot: “After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don’t have to just crack the case – they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.”

Rebecca Romijn to Star in TNT’s ‘The Librarians’

Rebecca Romijn stars in The Librarians
Rebecca Romijn (Photo Courtesy of TNT)

TNT is revisiting The Librarian movie series with the new The Librarians drama series. Rebecca Romijn has been cast in the lead alongside Christian Kane, Lindy Booth, John Kim, and John Larroquette. Executive producer Noah Wyle (Falling Skies) will reprise his role as Flynn Carsen, with Bob Newhart and Jane Curtin also on board to reprise their roles.

The Librarian film series kicked off in 2004 with basic cable’s #1 film of the year, The Librarian: Quest for the Spear. That was followed in 2006 by The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines and in 2008 by The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice.

TNT has given The Librarians a 10-episode season one order and is aiming to launch the series later this year.

The Librarian movies have been a huge success for TNT, and we jumped at the opportunity to build a series around the incredible world Dean Devlin and his creative partners created,” said Michael Wright, president, head of programming for TNT, TBS, and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We’re especially excited to have such an extraordinary cast behind The Librarians, and we’re grateful to have them on board as part of TNT’s continued expansion into the action-adventure genre.”

The Plot: The Librarians centers on an ancient organization hidden beneath the Metropolitan Public Library dedicated to protecting an unknowing world from the secret, magical reality hidden all around. This group solves impossible mysteries, fights supernatural threats and recovers powerful artifacts from around the world. Among the artifacts housed in the Library are the Ark of the Covenant, the Spear of Destiny, the Judas Chalice and Excalibur, to name a few. Only a person with special skills could be responsible for collecting and protecting these artifacts, and more importantly, for preventing them from falling into the wrong hands.

For the past 10 years, Flynn Carsen (Wyle) has served as the Librarian. Prior to taking the job, he was a bookish nerd with 22 academic degrees and absolutely no social skills. As Librarian, however, he managed to use his extraordinary knowledge, successfully recovering ancient artifacts and, in the process, saving the world from unspeakable evil on more than one occasion. Over the last decade he’s gone from bookworm to dashing swashbuckler, one of the secret heroes of the hidden world.

As great as Flynn is, the job of Librarian has become more than one person can handle. To aid him in his duties, the Library has recruited four people from around the world, including Eve Baird (Romijn), a highly skilled counter-terrorism agent who is responsible for protecting the group and keeping them all alive; Jake Stone (Kane), an Oklahoma oil worker with an IQ of 190 and an encyclopedic knowledge of art history; Cassandra (Booth), a quirky young woman with the special gift of auditory and sensory hallucinations linked to memory retrieval, known as synesthesia; and Ezekiel Jones (Kim), a master of new technologies and aficionado of old classic crimes who enjoys playing the role of international man of mystery.

Overseeing the new team of Librarians is the somewhat cantankerous Jenkins (Larroquette), an expert in ancient lore who has been working out of the Library’s branch office for longer than anyone knows. Together, they must tangle with many adversaries, chief of whom is the Serpent Brotherhood, an ancient cult led by the mysterious immortal Dulaque (Matt Frewer).




New Trailer Arrives for ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’

How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer 3
A scene from 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' (Photo © DreamWorks Animation)

DreamWorks Animation’s released an action-filled, dragon-filled new trailer for How to Train Your Dragon 2 coming to theaters on June 13, 2014 in 3D. The new trailer focuses on a character introduced in this second film of the franchise and sets up the big showdown that will take place during this sequel.

Directed by Dean DeBlois, the voice cast is led by Jay Baruchel and includes Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, T.J. Miller, and Kristen Wiig.

The Plot:

The thrilling second chapter of the epic How to Train Your Dragon trilogy brings us back to the fantastical world of Hiccup and Toothless five years after the two have successfully united dragons and vikings on the island of Berk. While Astrid, Snoutlout and the rest of the gang are challenging each other to dragon races (the island’s new favorite contact sport), the now inseparable pair journey through the skies, charting unmapped territories and exploring new worlds.

When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.




The One Video You Need to Watch Today

Jimmy Fallon and Stevie Nicks Sing Stop Draggin My Heart Around
Host Jimmy Fallon and musician Stevie Nicks perform on April 9, 2014 -- (Photo by: Nathaniel Chadwick/NBC).
If you can only watch one music video today, this is the one to check out. Stevie Nicks visited The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on April 9, 2014 and the two collaborated on a re-creation of Nicks’ 1981 duet with Tom Petty on the hit single “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.”

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