ROBIN WILLIAMS PLAYS RUSSIAN IN 'MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3kLYQEfX9fKk2-t-Mr52Br4yasvVSxd5_aqw5ESJjjDSRIGnsZ0EJyS2zSN2cbt2TrFh7zbg3NT7Sr5uPq1Z1dAH0D56p4zkfhCNsKJ1y9mwYfhLUlfcguYuMnsKamFMwzJ0U9ZyRUxI/s1600/gOcBl644OuO7TOE2fi7WDWHeNG2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="593" data-original-width="1053" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl3kLYQEfX9fKk2-t-Mr52Br4yasvVSxd5_aqw5ESJjjDSRIGnsZ0EJyS2zSN2cbt2TrFh7zbg3NT7Sr5uPq1Z1dAH0D56p4zkfhCNsKJ1y9mwYfhLUlfcguYuMnsKamFMwzJ0U9ZyRUxI/s400/gOcBl644OuO7TOE2fi7WDWHeNG2.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Clevon Derricks, Robin Williams and Maria Concheta Alonso 1984</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Plot centers on a Russian saxophonist, part of that dying country's circus troupe, who defects on a trip to New York in, of all places, Bloomingdale's: a scene that's a short film all it's own. Before that, the first thirty minutes center in the mid-eighties' Soviet Union where we experience the dreary hopelessness of living under communist rule...<br> <br> Then the last hour's all in America... New York City, to be exact, where poverty reigns as well. But unlike Russia, there's a glimmer of hope... especially with gorgeous Maria Concheta Alonso, whom the bearded everyman lands too quickly to be realistic. Black sidekick Clevon Derricks fills in the needed comedy that Williams would usually infuse had he not a semi-serious plot to carry. Alejandro Rey is also good as his Cuban lawyer, whose thirty-second backstory is perhaps the funniest thing going...  <br>

comedy, drama, eighties, elya baskin, maria concheta alonso, robin williams

ROBIN WILLIAMS PLAYS RUSSIAN IN 'MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON'

Clevon Derricks, Robin Williams and Maria Concheta Alonso 1984 Plot centers on a Russian saxophonist, part of that dying country's c...

WALTER MATTHAU AND ROBIN WILLIAMS STAR IN 'THE SURVIVORS'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0ImCNWSlohC_zytv9U33dNWYtUz8Ds8rm0KgVZlSjtc_4WmHdrKBmnsJBeZhC5w0jI1aTpZilZ_NskF7PTV1RSsbt8WtCBMJX2mF1WzUuhqflassTOtH8i3xwLEdzZZyfVUU8JTHASsw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-08-14+at+6.11.10+PM.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1153" data-original-width="1600" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0ImCNWSlohC_zytv9U33dNWYtUz8Ds8rm0KgVZlSjtc_4WmHdrKBmnsJBeZhC5w0jI1aTpZilZ_NskF7PTV1RSsbt8WtCBMJX2mF1WzUuhqflassTOtH8i3xwLEdzZZyfVUU8JTHASsw/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-08-14+at+6.11.10+PM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title card for Michael Ritchie's THE SURVIVORS Year: 1983</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In THE SURVIVORS,  Robin Williams and Walter Matthau make a pretty good team. And while this comedy isn't hilarious, it's very entertaining...<br> <br> The first half, anyway, where both unlucky losers lose their income... one his fancy job, the other his grungy gas station... and deal with a string of things-go-wrong-situations highlighted by a greasy spoon diner robbery that just might've inspired Quentin Tarantino's PULP FICTION: Cut to another familiar scene where Robin Williams, in the passenger's side of Matthau's car, points a safety-off handgun at the film's edgy third-tier character, a sitting duck (albeit not a vulnerable one) in the back seat who's a plot in itself: Jerry Reed plays the diner's holdup man who also claims to be a hired assassin and wants the only witness... Matthau... dead... or so he says...<br>

annie mcenroe, buddy, comedy, eighties, jerry reed, john goodman, joseph carberry, kristen vigard, michael ritchie, robin williams, walter matthau

WALTER MATTHAU AND ROBIN WILLIAMS STAR IN 'THE SURVIVORS'

Title card for Michael Ritchie's THE SURVIVORS Year: 1983 In THE SURVIVORS,  Robin Williams and Walter Matthau make a pretty good te...

REVIEW OF NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ6aEe4UQJ1iKjZTLrCKh650N30Czy27HeSPi854gJ7jSHEemPZ8nqampyseMqeZKGIHwKuqITdBItJXQOE7tIv59duqp9fNwcTGh7X_WkWod2u7I4gXB5OZrXrThBDkdrb2sSR7fBo8/s1600/2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ6aEe4UQJ1iKjZTLrCKh650N30Czy27HeSPi854gJ7jSHEemPZ8nqampyseMqeZKGIHwKuqITdBItJXQOE7tIv59duqp9fNwcTGh7X_WkWod2u7I4gXB5OZrXrThBDkdrb2sSR7fBo8/s320/2.jpg" width="214" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2014 rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> Starting much like the middle of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK or the beginning of THE EXORCIST, we learn an Egypt archeology backstory of the device that brought everything to life in the first place: that place being the museum where Ben Stiller’s put-upon night-watchman Larry sees stuff happening no one else does, after hours…<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmbZT-wAdbj_DPNVAAyPxo6ZAEV19fYXgDWMwTfathzdZss5KwiD0BA1UwZIVLVVjc44AFcPIb1Mta5zTd7003OKfHksdoKhnED8xfQdQtVgRXyOoFD7myc2Jt_7ZJhnv6Hv2R6arZpE/s1600/movies-night-at-the-museum.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKmbZT-wAdbj_DPNVAAyPxo6ZAEV19fYXgDWMwTfathzdZss5KwiD0BA1UwZIVLVVjc44AFcPIb1Mta5zTd7003OKfHksdoKhnED8xfQdQtVgRXyOoFD7myc2Jt_7ZJhnv6Hv2R6arZpE/s320/movies-night-at-the-museum.jpg" width="129" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Robin Williams</td></tr> </tbody></table> This time, several problems arise: the insides get taken out when the public witness a barrage of the creatures and characters running rampant, and yet it’s all blamed on special effects… But it was that ancient artifact that caused the chaos, and eventually Larry and the whole gang, including Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt, Owen Wilson as a miniature cowboy with Steve Coogan's Gladiator and the urinating monkey wind up in a London museum to put the magic back in order before, according to the curse learned in the prologue, it all goes... blank.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQakYZDyE9zSK_05mYozK0CML89kee7cJxKlq5cGHZa0_LKZdiBq1DbovUWyZqJV-BZOsmtxsE-cVTgTaH2FS2r-rhezlylvnljxjocOv7Ft8ZP8ikmEIEomklqBYpudXQedXGthjZmLs/s1600/1.JPG" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQakYZDyE9zSK_05mYozK0CML89kee7cJxKlq5cGHZa0_LKZdiBq1DbovUWyZqJV-BZOsmtxsE-cVTgTaH2FS2r-rhezlylvnljxjocOv7Ft8ZP8ikmEIEomklqBYpudXQedXGthjZmLs/s320/1.JPG" width="197" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dan Stevens as Lancelot </td></tr> </tbody></table> The best element in this third MUSEUM is Dan Stevens as Sir Lancelot, starting out as a pontificating hero and winding up a desperate villain, of sorts, and pretty much stealing the show – or at least his own scenes, which are the most important.<br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> Despite the fact the movie doesn’t quite know how and when to end, the plot keeps having to be continuously explained, and Ben Stiller playing himself as a Neanderthal (creepily resembling Tom Cruise)  is more irritating than humorous, SECRET OF THE TOMB is a breezy and sometimes funny but never hilarious wild ride rollercoaster: either an end to the franchise or setting up the beginning of another installment. And with night guard Rebel Wilson now in charge, let’s hope it just… rests eternally. <br /> <br /> Dick Van Dyke makes a cameo as well as the late Mickey Rooney. Stick around to see the end credit dedication to Rooney and Robin Williams. And during Larry’s prolonged farewell to Teddy, it’s apparent he was the Scarecrow to be  missed "most of all.”

2014, adventure, ben stiller, dan stevens, owen wilson, rebel wilson, robin williams

REVIEW OF NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB

year: 2014 rating: *** Starting much like the middle of RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK or the beginning of THE EXORCIST, we learn an Egypt ar...

YET ANOTHER ECLECTIC BAGFUL OF RANDOM REVIEWS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7-VTOZ26q0zF7hzVZi8m38N9Ki9vfHCXoivW6B2eyi0L_jizuHin68YQzy-HiRDoOXUkPATIuWnnrwdQkCxLqFT8n3FckNvdroXt_u6mmIQy-DDNa3saTf-SPTLgUTNDh55qDLVsGas/s1600/my-favorite-year-movie-poster-1982-1010467390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz7-VTOZ26q0zF7hzVZi8m38N9Ki9vfHCXoivW6B2eyi0L_jizuHin68YQzy-HiRDoOXUkPATIuWnnrwdQkCxLqFT8n3FckNvdroXt_u6mmIQy-DDNa3saTf-SPTLgUTNDh55qDLVsGas/s1600/my-favorite-year-movie-poster-1982-1010467390.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1983 rating: ****</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>MY FAVORITE YEAR:</b> During the eighties, epic dramatic actor Peter O'Toole, best known for LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, starred in a string of quirky comedy films including CREATOR, CLUB PARADISE and HIGH SPIRITS...<br /> <br /> Set far apart from those is MY FAVORITE YEAR, garnering O'Toole yet another Oscar nomination and one of the best ensemble comedies involving behind-the-scene antics of a television show where the characters run around frantically, and everything's on the verge of disaster... The mayhem caused by an aging acting-legend of swashbuckling programmers (ala Error Flynn) played by a rascally O'Toole and set during the 1950's, when live TV broadcasts reigned...<br /> <br /> Buried lead Mark Linn Baker stars as young writer Benjy Stone, who must wrangle O'Toole's Alan Swann from booze and women in order to succeed on the telecast, but ends up learning a lesson in life, love and adventure. And beyond the two stars are a terrific ensemble cast including Joseph Bolonga as an egotistical actor in charge, Jessica Harper as the brainy ingenue and Cameron Mitchell as a gun-toting heavy. <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFagcPOPkvJzOGhV-0Jqnvnpob4Nk8pqFrb16oiwCyyveYqQ5V03jR5L0BQCz2rpx7XzTB-obi7XGfHwCguYX5CawziFvad5CDLMdkFd3J2ZenHXG9tDal4ewXiuTs_2y3KPE0_CdU1t0/s1600/4128407491_c49838fd04.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510661646766430850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFagcPOPkvJzOGhV-0Jqnvnpob4Nk8pqFrb16oiwCyyveYqQ5V03jR5L0BQCz2rpx7XzTB-obi7XGfHwCguYX5CawziFvad5CDLMdkFd3J2ZenHXG9tDal4ewXiuTs_2y3KPE0_CdU1t0/s200/4128407491_c49838fd04.jpg" style="float: right; height: 178px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1981 rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>PENNIES FROM  HEAVEN:</b> Chock this up as one of the weirdest films ever made, and possibly the bravest: to have the characters lip sync to old songs during the course of the linear story: that of a song salesman, Steve Martin, travelling away from home and a chilly wife to a Noirish city full of shadows and innocent-turned-sultry Bernedette Peters.<br /> <br /> Realizing all the quirky song and dance numbers (one provided by Christopher Walken) are daydreams gives merit to a somewhat involving melodrama with ironical humor thrown in for good measure.<br /> <br /> "I want to live in a world where the songs come true," Martin says at one point. "There must be someplace where the songs are for real." For better or worse, he found just the place.<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9JgxMV8sXqlXS-zSrhEbJGEZ_9fiigy6Y5BDvEOgAY54YowJe5J6lzdX4IvhMbwAVVGgVDHvIwIao4bn5GdpyD_bzEqqEPwuCnTsg3YvjQM0Y2vJMWutWGjbiMIUjHsov_Wg1-mQ9KY/s1600/images.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510639959466062978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9JgxMV8sXqlXS-zSrhEbJGEZ_9fiigy6Y5BDvEOgAY54YowJe5J6lzdX4IvhMbwAVVGgVDHvIwIao4bn5GdpyD_bzEqqEPwuCnTsg3YvjQM0Y2vJMWutWGjbiMIUjHsov_Wg1-mQ9KY/s200/images.jpg" style="float: right; height: 130px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1984 rating: ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>SECRET ADMIRER:</b> A terrific ensemble sex comedy that equally involves the energetic teens and their frustrated parents as a secret admirer's love letter tangles them all together.<br /> <br /> C. Thomas Howell is good as the central character, in lust with sexy Kelly Preston and surreptitiously fawned-over by RAD and FULL HOUSE starlet Lori Loughlin, whose performance as the woeful every-girl steals the show: after all, the film's named after her central character, the most sympathetic throughout. <br /> <br /> Cliff DeYoung, Dee Wallace, Leigh Taylor-Young and Fred Ward are cast perfectly as the convoluted peeps, making this curio, that fell through the cracks of 80's pop culture, a thoroughly entertaining little flick.  <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLOiLqVEX0iHL_UVrPJgxEPfRyilSbMKHnif39lWUhkGSq6RUuzo9dcTpepxP-59PrJBS5dLGFm-WJ76RDj-eb8uphX8mmz0XfVDPMyYQ5ou0ZvbkV7QwL5y1X5HTAc4Uaoi2oc-HFEM/s1600/Labyrinth-Connely-Bowie_lddd-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5510637447739316290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMLOiLqVEX0iHL_UVrPJgxEPfRyilSbMKHnif39lWUhkGSq6RUuzo9dcTpepxP-59PrJBS5dLGFm-WJ76RDj-eb8uphX8mmz0XfVDPMyYQ5ou0ZvbkV7QwL5y1X5HTAc4Uaoi2oc-HFEM/s200/Labyrinth-Connely-Bowie_lddd-1.jpg" style="float: right; height: 142px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1986 rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>LABYRINTH:</b> For a rock star, David Bowie is a capable actor. But having his character... the king of Goblins ruling a fantasy world where a castle lays in the center of a mazy labyrinth... continuously sing songs not only takes the viewer out of the fantasy element, but the tunes are dated and forgettable.<br /> <br /> It's the outlandishly gorgeous Jennifer Connely who shines as the main character, a selfish young girl who wishes her crying infant to the goblins. And when her wish takes her up on it, she must figure a way through the maze to the castle: a suspenseful, creative adventure that works well... as long as there's no singing involved.<br /> <br /> The late great director Jim Henson's puppets, <span style="font-style: italic;">still</span> far superior than CGI, are terrific, but this is to Henson's brilliant THE DARK CRYSTAL what RETURN OF THE JEDI was to STAR WARS: a little too silly for its own good, but still pretty good nonetheless. <br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHj0wtOxIECu7zXolleV3Zd6DRow4i5JhGtiJ0seC0qUHsb8HGrRb6f40xg_iq3RufcMYJSYozrK4wRwspQkO0N59_3IouzwJXHGr71JNjAdPDtxAy14iQz-lXsFRLVddaztd_KDSYeYY/s1600/cop-out-movie.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507941100399348210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHj0wtOxIECu7zXolleV3Zd6DRow4i5JhGtiJ0seC0qUHsb8HGrRb6f40xg_iq3RufcMYJSYozrK4wRwspQkO0N59_3IouzwJXHGr71JNjAdPDtxAy14iQz-lXsFRLVddaztd_KDSYeYY/s200/cop-out-movie.jpg" style="float: right; height: 172px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2010 rating: **1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>COP OUT: </b>One-liners are usually Kevin Smith's strong-point, but in this buddy team-up cop comedy written by someone else, as director and editor he glides the action scenes nicely yet some of the wacky dialogue muddles the pace.<br /> <br /> Certain aspects do mirror Smith's forte: for instance, the way Bruce Willis, as a seasoned cop, cherishes a prized baseball card which, after stolen, turns out to be the centerpiece aka McGuffin of the film...  And how his comedic sidekick Tracy Morgan fears his wife's infidelity, driving him to neurosis... All fitting within the grunge-era filmmaker's niche, ranging from nostalgia to bad relationships...  Not to forget the addition of Seann William Scott as the frantic wild card (think Joe Pesci from LETHAL WEAPON combined with JACKASS Johnny Knoxville).<br /> <br /> Even when things get semi-serious... Willis needing to pay for his daughter's wedding and Morgan reeling about his wife... it becomes a much better movie than the reviews suggest. And a retro score by Harold Faltermeyer (a cross of BEVERLY HILLS COP and FLETCH) adds nicely to the overall mix: more homage than parody and surprisingly decent overall.<br /> <br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SyTgbuGqRqLWLVelJ_JtT0EyA1Fnv5HhxSbM2bgVEB5J1_t1O6SjksEcexrhN9RILEm967rzbvqgF8lCQtL8lUfgm_2pYDJ5ztWnm2SxywNYhd1NUICvutEqMRhSxYjqj9fkGaehck8/s1600/old-dogs.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507953368771803618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SyTgbuGqRqLWLVelJ_JtT0EyA1Fnv5HhxSbM2bgVEB5J1_t1O6SjksEcexrhN9RILEm967rzbvqgF8lCQtL8lUfgm_2pYDJ5ztWnm2SxywNYhd1NUICvutEqMRhSxYjqj9fkGaehck8/s200/old-dogs.jpg" style="float: right; height: 157px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 2009 rating: *</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>OLD DOGS:</b> One of the worst family films ever created, providing that always-jaunty Disney soundtrack as Robin Williams and John Travolta raise two kids Williams had with Kelly Preston: that he was completely unaware of.<br /> <br /> Both men are successful sports agents... Travolta a meandering playboy and Williams a stuffed shirt. If Travolta was the character forced into fatherhood perhaps we might have something, but Williams is so comfortably readymade for this new task, his character's arc, and revelation that he loves his kids more than his occupation, means nothing.<br /> <br /> The constantly forced wacky situations, horrible chemistry of the two leads, embarrassing misuse of CGI and uninteresting side-characters makes DOGS a completely forgettable howler.

bagful, eighties, fifties, fred ward, jessica harper, john travolta, leigh taylor-young, musical, peter o'toole, robin williams, steve martin, tens

YET ANOTHER ECLECTIC BAGFUL OF RANDOM REVIEWS

year: 1983 rating: **** MY FAVORITE YEAR: During the eighties, epic dramatic actor Peter O'Toole, best known for LAWRENCE OF ARABI...

HAROLD RAMIS DIRECTS ROBIN WILLIAMS FOR 'CLUB PARADISE'

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcdW1b7FXCmLXxCLGOlvgEfzX8S3iY_NY5z4bg2s5peG-RVOTnoSz2tX2YwxdHZlK2qPz4s4ADqKqAYG9yWYOA29f9moZrnuUFOUhP1CQ40fl3nFFwH0tIN3a8z5v-5gJz369diRWA9k/s1600/club_paradise_86_cinetext_b.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJcdW1b7FXCmLXxCLGOlvgEfzX8S3iY_NY5z4bg2s5peG-RVOTnoSz2tX2YwxdHZlK2qPz4s4ADqKqAYG9yWYOA29f9moZrnuUFOUhP1CQ40fl3nFFwH0tIN3a8z5v-5gJz369diRWA9k/s1600/club_paradise_86_cinetext_b.jpg" width="143" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>1986 rating: ***</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <i>This post was written after the death of Harold Ramis and Peter O'Toole and reblogged in memory of Robin Williams... And we begin with Ramis, best known as the brainy third banana in GHOSTBUSTERS or Bill Murray’s reluctant sidekick in STRIPES... He was also a terrific comedy writer, co-scripting ANIMAL HOUSE, MEATBALLS, BACK TO SCHOOL, STRIPES and GHOSTBUSTERS... </i><i> </i><br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-dl3COntwljAU4qxPe7PPTi7YGBc7Nla-qUdJ3E47RLF8XonHoSsBbqgLv3UbWyUP9juN_0BbLbM4xxsJKgGIHSLyYvG0TfH6oIzgsqxhyphenhyphen-RP7tjO0USFT49i39Uv_XJ_dTBY79A5gPp/s1600/e745a05e63a1c57ee32cd9cb2d60fa13.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="462" data-original-width="322" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt-dl3COntwljAU4qxPe7PPTi7YGBc7Nla-qUdJ3E47RLF8XonHoSsBbqgLv3UbWyUP9juN_0BbLbM4xxsJKgGIHSLyYvG0TfH6oIzgsqxhyphenhyphen-RP7tjO0USFT49i39Uv_XJ_dTBY79A5gPp/s320/e745a05e63a1c57ee32cd9cb2d60fa13.jpg" width="223" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Perhaps a Lawrence nod?</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <i>Along with writing and acting, Ramis directed such quotable classics as CADDYSHACK and NATIONAL LAMPOON’S VACATION... </i><i> </i><br /> <br /> <i>But this particular vehicle from the mid-80's is both maligned and neglected: a dark horse comedy that never quite made a splash, or even a puddle<b>. </b>In fact, Robin Williams himself said he tried to "save it"... </i><br /> <br /> CLUB PARADISE stars Williams as Jack Moniker, a Chicago fireman injured in the literal line of fire, who goes into early retirement, residing within a small Caribbean island named St. Nicholas. It’s a strange premise and an even stranger side-cast including Jimmy Cliff as local musician Jimmy Reed, owner of a run down, tax burdened hotel, and Peter O’Toole... who around this time starred in a string of quirky light comedies including CREATOR, HIGH SPIRITS and MY FAVORITE YEAR... as Englishman Anthony Cloyden Hayes, who spends most of his time at the local pub seducing a pretty critic (Joanna Cassidy). <br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdvyzEytTDlSiFrZb_E9yegJRep-wHVnqVjhuhDWGjSejkcMF1HAbVmGqmpocEZW2TUVDjrc_zQgD9cM_GzvAR1afd4qjQbGdoMRnJzSvwke_SCk_YodXxLO4J1xvuKqKVhK1kTQDoAE/s1600/clubparadise.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdvyzEytTDlSiFrZb_E9yegJRep-wHVnqVjhuhDWGjSejkcMF1HAbVmGqmpocEZW2TUVDjrc_zQgD9cM_GzvAR1afd4qjQbGdoMRnJzSvwke_SCk_YodXxLO4J1xvuKqKVhK1kTQDoAE/s1600/clubparadise.jpg" width="184" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Williams and O'Toole</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Robin’s Moniker helps Jimmy renovate the hotel, and some of the more involving scenes are in montage form as our underdog hero, with the help of girlfriend Phillipa (Twiggy), turns this molehill into a slightly neater looking molehill that, through misleading ads centered stateside, resembles a luxurious haven, and thus the plot’s underway…<br /> <br /> With an obvious attempt to tone down Robin Williams' frantic spontaneity while toning up his body, he's more of a leading man than a hyperactive clown, and with Cliff and O’Toole aside, this is an ensemble bringing together an assortment of Second City vets including Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty and Andrea Martin  (the only one missing is John Candy, who was beachside in SUMMER RENTAL).<br /> <br /> Moranis and Levy are the Cheech and Chong of the group although they can't seem to score: After two sexy tourists ask the boys for local ganja, the unlucky duo travel around the back-beaches, searching and searching in vain... And after this "skit" plays out, Moranis winds up windsurfing, getting caught up in a hurricane. While Levy connects with a shy Mary Gross, we sporadically cut to Moranis lost at sea: Which is an attempt at a dependable, reoccurring punch-line since it's Rick Moranis after all...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDeMtNpXNuAwwjYH_SSPY83zXB5RFU3dnS97mioP1Mknnbp6GOhL_HGoLf7k2w8mlz8iByxFy3rLFPPdOHwvxuVeetlgorZMTBT2mfKnDYKClNmLpJbiessaHy82WZkM9Yx95HRIEgvk/s1600/2.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDeMtNpXNuAwwjYH_SSPY83zXB5RFU3dnS97mioP1Mknnbp6GOhL_HGoLf7k2w8mlz8iByxFy3rLFPPdOHwvxuVeetlgorZMTBT2mfKnDYKClNmLpJbiessaHy82WZkM9Yx95HRIEgvk/s320/2.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>A Good Sign</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Meanwhile, Andrea Martin and her grouchy husband, played by NEWHART grouch Steven Kampman, can’t catch a break inside their grungy room: Through this mundane couple we learn just how bad the hotel is. And Robin Williams, whilst battling local chieftain Adolf Caesar in a semi-serious subplot, has to run around making sure everything works perfectly: of course nothing does and predictable havoc ensues.<br /> <br /> CLUB PARADISE is a prime example of a comedy film that’s more entertaining than actually humorous. And the SCTV connection aside, it’s difficult attributing this particular vehicle to the Harold Ramis canon...<br /> <br /> Lacking the memorable one-liners of CADDYSHACK, the engaging adventure of VACATION or the delicious depth of GROUNDHOG DAY, perhaps the late "Buddha of Comedy" wanted to try something new, or to get a busman’s pass, filming in the Caribbean instead of Chicago or New York... Like his main character, he might have needed a break from the routine: who doesn't? Either way, this CLUB, while being far from PARADISE, isn't entirely shabby. Proving that even some of Harold's misfires were <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2013/03/moreentertainingthanfunny.html">at least somewhat entertaining</a>.

comedy, eighties, harold ramis, peter o'toole, robin williams

HAROLD RAMIS DIRECTS ROBIN WILLIAMS FOR 'CLUB PARADISE'

1986 rating: *** This post was written after the death of Harold Ramis and Peter O'Toole and reblogged in memory of Robin Williams.....

ROBIN WILLIAMS IN BICENTENNIAL MAN & JUMANJI

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsRdt66MNO3ovs9hvxaD3MSA3t09U3-rv9lkzyW1bcZhPbxMrIPYF4yJZrATdesiC7IGX7bVynpeC7uNGdspejp_xG0rOYPT0mYk2KGhHnyjDs2WTzAAnoREZYbuXgrURcIAz4xiUZoE/s1600/MV5BNzkyNTI2NzQ3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDg3Njg2._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsRdt66MNO3ovs9hvxaD3MSA3t09U3-rv9lkzyW1bcZhPbxMrIPYF4yJZrATdesiC7IGX7bVynpeC7uNGdspejp_xG0rOYPT0mYk2KGhHnyjDs2WTzAAnoREZYbuXgrURcIAz4xiUZoE/s1600/MV5BNzkyNTI2NzQ3M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwMDg3Njg2._V1_SX640_SY720_.jpg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">year: 1999 rating: ***</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>BICENTENNIAL MAN:</b> The worst thing about this heartwarming comedy starring Robin Williams as a robot serving a rich family who eventually accepts him as one of their own… is exactly what you just read – which is not what the movie is about.<br /> <br /> But the trailer, commercials and posters promote it this way. Instead it’s a somewhat melancholy yet entertaining science-fiction film (based on a novel by Isaac Asimov) about a robotic butler who has humanistic elements. He eventually leaves the family and goes on a journey to discover a robot like himself, but to no avail. Although he does find a doctor who has an answer for all his problems, giving him/it the means of becoming a real person, which is much too easy <span style="font-style: italic;">and</span>  creepy (a robot having sex?). <br /> <br /> The first hour, as William’s “Andrew,” a top-of-the-line android who resembles an educated Iron Man, works for Sam Neill, teaching him about philosophy and art, is the most involving. Eventually, Andrew falls in love with Neill’s daughter’s granddaughter, both played by the lovely Embeth Davidtz: This second half falters – every fifteen minutes there’s a title card reading MANY YEARS LATER, feeling as if things are rushing towards a conclusion. And although this is not a comedy, director by Chris Columbus, who served up Williams in the hilarious MRS. DOUBTFIRE, throws in some humor for levity.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSehkDV7B8eCAxjg9WMt4k7hrVxGbGPtLQmDL_ECK3KbkbHtNIZvlVxWuARFufyIJx0QjLXjnXYYVSa3cSsHlqtqGfGm_VnRoEbi0eC_86iThEcgMFcSTQeadjMYKNg19R0y9mdRqvkQY/s1600/tumblr_m4hxjhAAoW1qz52aeo1_1280.png" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSehkDV7B8eCAxjg9WMt4k7hrVxGbGPtLQmDL_ECK3KbkbHtNIZvlVxWuARFufyIJx0QjLXjnXYYVSa3cSsHlqtqGfGm_VnRoEbi0eC_86iThEcgMFcSTQeadjMYKNg19R0y9mdRqvkQY/s320/tumblr_m4hxjhAAoW1qz52aeo1_1280.png" width="175" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1995 ***1/2</td></tr> </tbody></table> <b>JUMANJI: </b>Completely entertaining kid's flick (that adults can enjoy) about a board game bringing safari animals to life: first pillaging a mansion and then a small town: including lunatic monkeys, liken to the protagonists in GREMINS, along with a bevy of bats, mosquitos, rhinos, elephants, and a lion.<br /> <div> <br /> The special effects, right after JURRASIC PARK's CGI paved the way… are manned by Speilberg student Joe Johnston, directing Robin Williams as a grown-up who, when younger, was sucked into the board game: this where the movie begins.<br /> <br /> A crazy, bearded and inspired Williams joins two present day kids to finish the game – each move bringing more and more animals, and one lethal hunter, into frantic reality. The pace never lets up, but there are essential pockets of downtime to build the characters: investing you in their, and the game's, outcome. </div>

nineties, robin williams

ROBIN WILLIAMS IN BICENTENNIAL MAN & JUMANJI

year: 1999 rating: *** BICENTENNIAL MAN: The worst thing about this heartwarming comedy starring Robin Williams as a robot serving a ...

ROBIN WILLIAMS IN THE ANGRIEST MAN IN BROOKLYN

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgDleFEUiIJw2on4wbOOJ-CULR0TmBEZ1tLgMmbIcVqK7FYumaVb-al8cVCOQXJbM4plB88BoqpvR4EdNWASZgXAErSGFY7EVxc-qsL1qbb1Gv0Zi71BXFAeWy1iEMvNoV0FMP4EjPbA/s1600/the-angriest-man-in-brooklyn-robin-williams-image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBgDleFEUiIJw2on4wbOOJ-CULR0TmBEZ1tLgMmbIcVqK7FYumaVb-al8cVCOQXJbM4plB88BoqpvR4EdNWASZgXAErSGFY7EVxc-qsL1qbb1Gv0Zi71BXFAeWy1iEMvNoV0FMP4EjPbA/s400/the-angriest-man-in-brooklyn-robin-williams-image.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 rating: **</td></tr> </tbody></table> Promoted as a FALLING DOWN meets DOA… of a bitter guy thinking he has a small amount of time to live, running wild in the streets of New York… THE ANGRIEST MAN IN BROOKLYN goes in one ear and out the other... <br /> <br /> Too bad since the recently-departed Robin Williams had so much talent, and his career-spanning portrayals of flawed characters in an eclectic bouquet of films, ranging from dramas with comedic elements to comedies with serious undertones, gave hope to fans that this might’ve been… well given the low budget and straight-to-DVD look, not exactly a comeback… but a chance for the actor to shine once again, proving himself a worthy dramatic actor in a career derailed into cameos and goofy voice-overs.<br /> <br /> The plot centers on Williams as stiff-suit-wearing Henry Altmann, beginning with the irritated grouch on the road in yet another working day morning of a seemingly dire existence… He gets in a traffic accident and at the hospital, a young female replacement doctor mistakenly gives him 90 minutes to live. Thus Altmann takes to the streets, attempting to make emends with people ranging from his brother, wife, son, old friends and meeting perfect strangers along the way. Although the potential is limitless, the most intriguing aspect occurs later on: When Henry frantically tells a cop all he’s been through, the desperate rant is far more interesting than the extremely dull journey, wasting the talents of both Williams and Mila Kunis (who also produced) as the guilt-ridden doctor on his trail... Yet the real shame is that Robin seems handcuffed to the scant plotline and filler dialogue, without riffing on his own spontaneous gusto, something he built an entire career on. Sure, even the funniest ad-libs wouldn’t have healed this ANGRIEST MAN, providing mere band aids to a full body cast, but seeing Williams trying to flesh out a skeleton would have been entertaining enough.

2014, mila kunis, robin williams

ROBIN WILLIAMS IN THE ANGRIEST MAN IN BROOKLYN

2014 rating: ** Promoted as a FALLING DOWN meets DOA… of a bitter guy thinking he has a small amount of time to live, running wild in th...

THE BIG WEDDING

<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qqfrBPWrXK3KWwdBuEJxc07oDmSZUZOkRl2rS2guZ-LQP94L4bhChFXoqZibHElUwbfJ7DY7bwr9IUNmQPQFdB1MxOZEE8tEbMN2YarZxtjM3fJghW4NfgVzmONlvXC2kFSDAytri3MD/s1600/The-Big-Wedding-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qqfrBPWrXK3KWwdBuEJxc07oDmSZUZOkRl2rS2guZ-LQP94L4bhChFXoqZibHElUwbfJ7DY7bwr9IUNmQPQFdB1MxOZEE8tEbMN2YarZxtjM3fJghW4NfgVzmONlvXC2kFSDAytri3MD/s640/The-Big-Wedding-04.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year: </b>2013 <b>cast:</b> Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams<b> rating:</b> *</td></tr> </tbody></table> Robert De Niro’s character Don, whose son is about to get married, has a pretty good line in the beginning of THE BIG WEDDING, something having to do with marriage being liken to a phone call at night… First the ring, and then you wake up. Well here we have more of a message – an extremely familiar one at that –  spoken on a broken down answering machine.<br /> <br /> After about twenty frantic minutes of all the characters... including sons, daughters and girlfriends... bitching at each other incessantly, an actual "plot" surfaces: Don and his ex-wife Ellie, played by Diane Keaton, has to pretend to be married (BIRDCAGE, anyone?) in order to please their adopted son’s uptight catholic mother, who frowns on divorce. The first of many problems is simply: Who the heck cares about this woman anyway?<br /> <br /> Robert De Niro, relating back to that initial joke, phones in a lazy performance but his beard fits him well – you can say he looks better now, at the beginning of being legitimately old, than he did ten years ago as an aged version of his younger self.<br /> <br /> But his character's crass humor is more fitting to the young. Spouting Judd Apatow style sexual jokes is awkward and unfunny throughout this muddled mess of a romantic comedy, leading to that big wedding only lasting ten minutes before the film ends quickly.<br /> <br /> Well that was one prayer answered…

2013, diane keaton, katherine heigl, robert deniro, robin williams, romantic comedy, susan sarandon

THE BIG WEDDING

year: 2013 cast: Robert De Niro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Robin Williams  rating: * Robert De Niro’s character Don, whose son is ...

HAPPY FEET 2

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Nft5SLAkvaPklS_ejHTwlF45w0KhmKl6EXhsqpX3fk0eDrG4m5Yt61Ps7a4xufAe2Z1lO7oT6a4_4vwsJoa626AVhLPqnN613iQfAgNudXimgnD8vV_1m4aeUVmMnGhfFTbEjVMmCHAa/s1600/Happy%252BFeet%252B2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676963576416040082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Nft5SLAkvaPklS_ejHTwlF45w0KhmKl6EXhsqpX3fk0eDrG4m5Yt61Ps7a4xufAe2Z1lO7oT6a4_4vwsJoa626AVhLPqnN613iQfAgNudXimgnD8vV_1m4aeUVmMnGhfFTbEjVMmCHAa/s200/Happy%252BFeet%252B2.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 154px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title: </span>HAPPY FEET 2<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">year:</span> 2011<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">voices:</span> Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">rating: </span>**<br /><br />There’s a wee bit of actual adventure as a few brave penguins, when they’re not singing popular pop tunes and dancing, venture off to save their world – these are the best parts of the movie. And although the tunes are the purpose for a musical involving penguins, the songs and the frolicking get downright annoying. Our new hero is the son of Mumble and Gloria, Erik... with a voice so cutesy you’ll want to squeeze the cheeks of the theater screen (or else punch the heck out of it). He lacks confidence and can’t dance, but these are the least of his problems. The ice caps are melting (inverted political message) and the penguin city is trapped – and it’s up to Mumble and Erik to save the day. Peripheral characters include a flying penguin who’s become a counterfeit messiah to the race and his flamboyant spokesman: both part of a backstory weird enough to confuse even Rod Serling’s children. And beneath the water... involving the best special effects, especially in 3D whenever whales appear... are two whining Krill (Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, sounding like themselves) who yearn to be independent from the vast herd – eventually realizing they might be headed for Brokeback Mountain. It’s Robin Williams’s mohawked underdog penguin Ramon who makes the movie; it’s too bad he’s hardly in it at all. What's needed is a fuller story and more places to go. Although young kids... really, really young kids... will enjoy themselves.

animated, brad pitt, george miller, matt damon, robin williams

HAPPY FEET 2

title: HAPPY FEET 2 year: 2011 voices: Robin Williams, Elijah Wood, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon rating: ** There’s a wee bit of actual adventure...