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ENTERTAINMENT
Sunday, March 31, 2013
B5
FILM: FIVE MOST ...
FILM REVIEW
Rebecca Thomas picks five great coming-of-age movies
Spectacle and bombast
‘G.I. Joe’ knows it’s big and dumb BY CHRISTY LEMIRE “Olympus Has Fallen,” in which North Korean terAP Film Reviewer rorists took over the White House in self-serious fashIf a big, dumb action ion but our secret-servicemovie knows it’s a big, agent hero found time to dumb action movie and revels in that fact, is that make wedged-in, smartalecky quips on the way to preferable to a big, dumb saving the day. action movie making the That’s not to say that mistake of thinking it’s this “G.I. Joe” is good, significant, relevant art? aside from a couple of dazThat’s the question to zling action set pieces, but ponder if you can think at least it’s efficient in its straight and your ears muscular mindlessness. aren’t ringing too badly The elite military team during “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” This sequel of of Joes, now led by Duke (Channing Tatum, returnsorts to the 2009 blocking from the first film), is buster “G.I. Joe: The Rise sent to Pakistan to recover of the Cobra” seems to have some cheeky fun with some nuclear weapons. But they find themselves itself, from Bruce Willis double-crossed by their cheerily revealing the own government, led by an arsenal he’s hiding in his imposter president, and quiet suburban home to lose many among their RZA from the Wu-Tang ranks in a massive Clan essentially showing up and playing himself. A ambush. The survivors Roadblock (Dwayne major city is obliterated with the touch of a button Johnson, reliable as ever), Flint (D.J. Cotrona, who’s and several others are in given no personality) and peril as the world hinges Lady Jaye (Adrianne on nuclear destruction in what amounts to a hammy Palicki, in full makeup for covert ops) must find out game of chicken. Nothing matters really. who’s running the country This is a movie based on a and get to the bottom of Hasbro toy, after all — it’s this villain’s dastardly all spectacle and bombast. plan. Turns out it’s master of But at least “G.I. Joe” is aware of its vapidity com- disguise Zartan, part of the enemy group Cobra, pared to, say, last week’s
Dwayne Johnson: Savior of film franchises LOS ANGELES (AP) — When your film franchise has gotten tired the Fast aren’t quite as Furious, the Mummy needs a reason to Return Dwayne Johnson is the guy to call. The 40-year-old actor has become a savior of stale film series, injecting new life into “Fast Five,” ”The Mummy Returns,” ”Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” and now “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” The former professional wrestler rocks established franchises by joining them on the second or subsequent installment and boosting the property’s box office. “Fast & Furious 6” and “Journey 3” are on the way, and Johnson’s “Mummy” character got his own spinoff film, “The Scorpion King.” “We call him franchise Viagra,” said “Retaliation” director Jon M. Chu. “He comes in and he elevates everything, not just physically, but energy-wise… He was the only one in our minds that could reinvent G.I. Joe and carry the franchise forward.” In “Retaliation,” Johnson takes over for Channing Tatum, the star of 2009’s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.” Tatum plays a smaller role in the sequel as Johnson introduces moviegoers to
the top-grossing movie franchises of all time, including a few that may seem finished. The Rock, tongue firmly in cheek, is willing to revive them. STAR WARS: “That could happen. I only say that because of my love for the mythology of ‘Star Wars.’ … Boba Fett could work. But it can’t be the Boba Fett as we know. We can’t hide my magic (gestures to his face). This is magic, my friend (laughs). There’s got to be a cross AP PHOTO/PARAMOUNT PICTURES, JAIMIE TRUEBLOOD between a Sith and a Jedi. This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows What is that? Don’t know Channing Tatum, left, and Dwayne Johnson in a scene what that is yet. We’ve got from “G.I. Joe: Retaliation.” to create it.” JAMES BOND: “I love Roadblock, a character In fact, he’s open to that franchise. Daniel from the G.I. Joe universe joining any film franchise Craig has been great. You who’s built like a tank but he might be able to help. know my grandfather was always served second in “If I can create a chara baddie in ‘You Only Live command. acter that audiences will Twice’ with Sean Connery. “He was the glue who really like and love going They had this awesome held all the G.I. Joes on a journey with whether fight scene. So he kind of together, but he was hapit’s ‘Fast Five’ or ‘G.I. Joe’ opened up the doors in my pily in the shadows,” or even ‘Journey 2: The mind a little bit at least. Johnson said. “To bring Mysterious Island,’ or So yeah, absolutely me him to life and then try to everything else we have chasing down Daniel help elevate the franchise coming up then I jump at Craig. But here’s the thing. with that character is that opportunity,” Johnson Here’s my idea. Chase pretty cool.” said, noting the creative down Daniel Craig and Johnson grew up play- challenge. “How do you then become the new ing with G.I. Joe action fig- elevate something that’s Bond. That’s what we do ures, so he was especially already successful? What … That’s never going to excited to be a part of Joe’s do you do? How do you happen, OK, but go second cinematic outing. make it different? How do ahead.” “It would be like if you make it fun? How do BATMAN: “Um. Let’s George Lucas called me you make it cool?” take a crack at it. I love and said, ‘Hey, want to be The Associated Press that. ‘Batman.’ Do I say asked Johnson what role in Star Wars?” the actor that? ‘I’m Batman.’” he might play in some of said. SHREK: “With ‘Shrek’
we create a five-legged Brahma bull with three horns.. He’s neutral. And sometimes he stutters.” TWILIGHT: “We would introduce the biggest, baddest, most manliest vampire the world has ever seen or will ever see. Go to Kristen Stewart, grab her by the back of the head, pull her in closely. Here comes Pattinson. Pie-face him out of the way. Look at her before I kiss her: ‘We’re doing away with boyhood things.’ Push him out of the way. Give her the kiss. Change her life. Then I’d bite her; rip her face off (laughs).” PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: “We have Johnny Depp on one side, that pirate, then we have myself on another side. I’m a pirate don’t believe in drinking, don’t believe in cussing. A clean pirate who happens to be boring. Yes, yes, that’s it. How exciting is that? You’re lining up. Everyone’s lining up to see it.” INDIANA JONES: “I would be a professor at the University of Miami of course, naturally … who stumbles upon something that is considered the fountain of youth. Give it to the real Indy. We go back in time. He becomes Indy from ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark.’ Then we both set off.”
AP PHOTO/WARNER BROS., FILE
In this 1939 file photo originally released by Warner Bros., Judy Garland portrays Dorothy in a scene from “The Wizard of Oz.” very literary which opened me up to a new kind of storytelling. • “Clueless” (1995): This is my favorite high school movie of all time! It’s a warm coming-of-age satire that takes us into the head of Cher Horowitz, an over-privileged Beverly Hills teen. Her modified Valley Girl voiceover narration is always justified and hilarious, and Cher is likable despite how selfcentered she is. I can only watch this with people who are as obsessed with it as I am, because I am liable to quote every line. As if! • “Akira” (1988): This is anime cyberpunk at its best. Rebellion is a huge part of this film. Student protests, gang warfare, Tetsuo’s taking over the government, and Kaneda . Oh Kaneda! He might have to kill his friend to save the world! It’s his coming-of-age that happens ultimately. I hope this gets successfully made into the live-action version. I’ve been tracking its progress (and lack thereof) forever now. • “The Graduate” (1967): Mike Nichols’ tale of the aimless college graduate Benjamin Braddock was the dissonant coming-of-ager that, like the rest of the films on this list, caught the spirit of the time and a spirit of rebellion. Benjamin would rebel by floating in a pool instead of becoming a doctor or lawyer. Simon and Garfunkel, a red convertible, and a seduction by Mrs. Robinson clearly make this a film for Rebecca Thomas.
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This film image released by Paramount Pictures shows “G.I. Joe: Retaliation."
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 15-year-old girl from a fundamentalist Mormon family hears rock music for the first time and miraculously finds she’s pregnant in “Electrick Children,” the debut feature from writer-director Rebecca Thomas. It sounds like a fantastical premise and Thomas’ film is filled with beautifully ethereal, dreamlike imagery but it’s also a universally relatable comingof-age story. Sheltered Rachel (played with a lovely innocence by Julia Garner) flees her Utah compound and drives to Las Vegas, hoping to find the man whose voice on a AP PHOTO/PARAMOUNT PICTURES, JAIMIE TRUEBLOOD cassette tape moved her so Adrianne Palicki, left, and Bruce Willis in a scene from profoundly. And while she’s exposed to a whole new world when she falls in with some musicians and street kids, she never loses her inherent sweetness. Thomas herself was nice enough to choose five of her favorite coming-ofage movies. Here she is, in who’s posing as the presi- movie to 3-D. With a direc- her own words: tor like Jon M. Chu, who’s dent while the real com• “The Wizard of Oz” shown a flair for integrat- (1939): I watched this mander in chief is locked ing 3-D with the dance up in a bomb shelter. movie every day growing extravaganza “Step Up (Jonathan Pryce plays up. Dorothy has such a 3D” and the concert film both roles; he’s far too dreamy, fantastical adven“Justin Bieber: Never Say ture down the yellow brick qualified for even one of them.) The three Joes real- Never,” why not just shoot road. It is really only ize they need help to bring it that way in the first through her kindness in place? As it stands now, him down, so they round befriending others that she the extra dimension up the far-flung Snake learns to take control of Eyes (Ray Park), the petite doesn’t add much, and her own destiny. I’m a warrior Jinx (Elodie Yung, often is used in that simsucker for the music, the plistic, tried-and-true way sets, and for the big shift whose character trains of flinging things at us with the Blind Master, from black and white to from the screen: bullets, RZA) and the reluctant Technicolor. I’ve even tried throwing stars, etc. Storm Shadow (Korean doing “Dark Side of the There is one absolutely Rainbow” (watching “WoO” superstar Byung-hun Lee, astounding extended an athletic and elegant backward while listening to sequence about halfway specimen). Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of through, in which two They also need some the Moon” album). It still teams of ninjas face off in reads as coming-of-age! firepower, so they track down Willis’ Original Joe, a battle on the sheer cliff • “The 400 Blows” Gen. Colton, who provides faces of the Himalayas. (1959): I watched this film Using cables and zip lines, when I was 19 and his own personal gun it’s as if they’re running, show. (You’d never know Franois Truffaut became a leaping and practically there’s a gun control fast hero of mine. Deeming dancing on walls in the debate in this country myself as Truffaut, I from watching this movie; sky a breathtaking piece of searched for an Andr choreography in its own it’s all very macho and Bazin to start a film club. right, regardless of the rah-rah. The flip side is, I roped my brother and none of the casualties from dimension through which friends into making bad it’s viewed. all this sophisticated shorts with me, but that “G.I. Joe Retaliation,” a wasn’t quite the same. weaponry results in any blood. This is an astonish- Paramount Pictures Although I may never release, is rated PG-13 for ingly violent PG-13 make a film as perfect as intense sequences of commovie.) this, I find in it an invitabat violence and martial “Retaliation” initially tion to make films about was scheduled to come out arts action throughout, young people. Antoine and for brief sensuality. last summer, but the stuDoinel, the 12-year old Running time: 110 mindio pulled it and delayed hero, is rebellious, smart, utes. Two stars out of four. and three-dimensional. its release to convert the The ending at the beach is
SCHEDULE SUNDAY 3/31 ONLY
GI JOE: RETALIATION 3-D ONLY (PG-13) 11:10 1:50 3:20 4:35 6:10 7:25 10:15 THE HOST (PG-13) 11:00 1:55 4:45 7:40 10:35 GI JOE: RETALIATION 2-D ONLY (PG-13) 12:15 9:00 THE CROODS 2-D ONLY (PG) 10:50 1:20 3:55 6:30 9:15 THE CALL (R) 11:20 1:40 4:10 7:00 9:35
OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (R) 10:50 1:35 4:20 7:10 10:00 THE CROODS 3-D ONLY (PG) 11:50 2:25 5:00 7:50 10:25 OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL 3-D ONLY (PG) 3:40 6:45 OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL 2-D ONLY (PG) 12:30 9:50