Cuddly animated 'Panda' masters the Kung Fu action movies
Written by Tim Riley
Saturday, 07 June 2008
Kung Fu PANDA (Rated PG)
Who doesn’t love a cuddly, soft panda, the world’s cutest animal and the best thing to come out of China since stir-fried noodles?
Ironically, the lovable panda that stars in the animated “Kung Fu Panda” is a clumsy lug working in the family’s noodle shop. Incongruous as it may seem, animation doesn’t capture the essentially adorable and outwardly sweet-natured appearance of the giant pandas on display at the National Zoo ever since President Nixon made his historic 1972 trip to China. On the other hand, only a cartoon could give a giant panda the dexterity to become a master of martial arts.
Alternating between comedic elements and Jackie Chan-style action heroics, “Kung Fu Panda” is the story of a plump, drowsy, huggable black-and-white bear with a huge pot belly who has only one aspiration in life, namely to become an expert in a martial art that relies on agility, mental prowess and lightning-fast reflexes.
The clumsy bear is named Po (voiced by Jack Black), a waiter at his father’s noodle diner who displays none of the inherent abilities to become a Kung Fu master. And yet nothing will dissuade him from the foolish quest, not even his father, a goose named Mr. Ping (voiced by James Hong).
Eager to quit slinging noodle bowls, Po heads off to a public ceremony at an ancient temple where grand master Oogway the Turtle (Randall Duk Kim), acting upon prophecy, will anoint the new Dragon Warrior. This selection will have great consequence for the inhabitants in the mountainous Chinese village that is otherwise vulnerable to attack from hostile forces.
It is widely expected that the appointment of the Dragon Warrior will go to one of the members of the legendary Furious Five: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Crane (David Cross), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu) and Monkey (Jackie Chan). All of these Kung Fu artists have been trained by the wily wolf Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman). Literally stumbling upon the scene, Po drops in on the ceremony so unexpectedly that Oogway proclaims that the lovable panda is the new Dragon Warrior.
This turn of events does not sit well with the Furious Five, or with Master Shifu, who thinks Po is irredeemably incapable of being properly trained, if only because the panda is obscenely overweight and lacking any athletic skills. What Po lacks in ability, he more than makes up for in optimism and enthusiasm. And so the giant panda participates in a rigorous training program that is often very comical, because as expected Po is uncoordinated and maladroit.
Master Shifu’s lessons, which will lead eventually to obtaining the powerful knowledge from the secret Dragon Scroll, take on a greater sense of urgency when the vicious snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian MacShane) escapes from the heavily-fortified and well-guarded prison where he has been chained up for years. With revenge on his mind for having been denied what he presumed was his rightful place as the Dragon Warrior, Tai Lung is set to wreak havoc on Po’s isolated village.
For the final third of its run, “Kung Fu Panda” lurches quickly from the comedic tone to the full-bore action that requires much hand-to-hand combat. A furious battle erupts when the Furious Five confront Tai Lung on a precarious rope bridge over a deep ravine. This is the run-up to the showdown between the suddenly energized Po and the determined Tai Lung.
Chinese art and architecture lend themselves to a very colorful rendition in computer-generated animation. “Kung Fu Panda” realizes the essential beauty of the Chinese culture with masterful precision. This is a good-looking film where the visuals come off much better than the script. A younger audience is more likely to be impressed with the decent story and its actors that are easily outdone by the film’s splashy art.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
It seems only fitting to note the recent release of a DVD double feature about one of nature’s most amazing creatures. “A Panda is Born” and “Baby Panda’s First Year” capture the essence of how the Giant Panda’s survival depends on the successful reproduction of each member of the species, given that an estimated 1,600 pandas live in the wild.
“A Panda is Born” follows the panda mating at the National Zoo as the female, Mei Xiang, and her mate, Tian Tian, finally succeed, resulting in the ultimate delight of a Panda birth. The companion piece, “Baby Panda’s First Year” follows baby Tai Shan’s life at the Giant Panda Habitat at the National Zoo, and viewers get to marvel at the instincts of first time mother Mei Xiang.
This DVD double feature proves an earlier point that a real live panda is much cuter than the animated version in “Kung Fu Panda.”
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
Faded At Four is bringing their great sound back to local audiences. Back row, from left, bassist Martan Scheel, guitarist Brian Kenner, drummer Chris Sanders and guitarist Chris Murphy, with lead singer Jon Foutch seated in the front. Photo by Cecil Blackburn.
LAKE COUNTY – After a long journey to Hollywood and some time spent working on new music, Faded At Four is once again ready to return back to the local Lake County music scene.
Fans can hear Faded At Four at Carlos and Vinny's in Lakeport on June 21 for a $10 cover charge. Faded At Four will also be selling T-shirts with their new, updated logo the night of the show.
Tickets are limited for this event and sure to sell out fast. Contact Faded At Four at
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or stop by Carlos and Vinny’s in Lakeport to purchase tickets.
Faded At Four's past accomplishments were to win the Uber grand prize in Ukiah’s first annual Bandslam Competition and also opened for Kid Rock at Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa.
The band also was a regional finalist in the Bodog Battle of the Bands, finishing third out of more than 4,500 bands in the nation in the online fan votes.
The CLPA Youth Orchestra will show off its talents in a June 8 concert. Photo courtesy of Andi Skelton.
LAKE COUNTY – The community is invited to a concert presented by the Clear Lake Performing Arts Youth Orchestra this Sunday, June 8.
This group of young string players has been working for months on a varied program. Wes Follett, director, and Tamsen Serena, coordinator, are enthusiastic about the progress that this group has made. The audience at the Mother’s Day Symphony concert heard an excellent presentation of just a few of the tunes that will be presented at their own concert.
Please show your support to these young players and attend their concert on June 8 at 6:30 p.m. You will experience an event that clearly shows the results of our CLPA youth programs.
Since the County Schools Strings program was discontinued, it is vitally important to support this youth orchestra in our community. There is no charge for the concert, but donations will be gratefully accepted for the CLPA Youth Music Fund, so the group can continue this project.
The concert will be held in the Friendship Hall at the Kelseyville Presbyterian Church, Third and Church St.
For the uninitiated, yawns greet 'Sex and the City'
Written by Tim Riley
Saturday, 31 May 2008
SEX AND THE CITY (Rated R)
There are times when you must accept your limitations. I should have realized this while sitting in a theater waiting to screen “Sex and the City.”
Reading the first paragraph of the press notes telegraphed the disaster looming on the horizon. This film version of the HBO series promised to answer all of the lingering questions: Will Carrie and Big finally tie the knot? Can Samantha really be satisfied with just one man? Will Charlotte ever get pregnant? Can Miranda and Steve actually live happily ever after?
Granted, I had not thought of questions like these. Mine run along the following lines: How long until the next James Bond movie? Are the Chicago Cubs for real this year? Wouldn’t an NBA Finals between the Lakers and the Celtics be a classic showdown? Will Barry Bonds, having disappeared into the Bermuda Triangle of forgotten ballplayers, ever show up in uniform again? I could go on, but only at the risk of being as boring as the movie I had to sit through.
What is “Sex and the City” all about, other than a bloated exercise in self-indulgence? Having fairly well avoided the HBO series, I am ill-prepared to stand in the way of the legions of fans that will flock to this movie no matter what a disgruntled critic has to say.
The Fab Four women are back, this time on the big screen, doing pretty much what they did on TV, apparently picking up where they left off, which is probably shopping for a new pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes at ritzy Manhattan stores and endlessly discussing their love lives.
Leading the parade and serving as narrator is Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie Bradshaw, successful author and fashion icon who is single and over 40. Like all of her friends, Carrie seems to have few real worries other than shopping for the most expensive clothes on the planet.
The love of her life is the handsome yet elusive Mr. Big (Chris Noth). What he does for a living is a mystery, but apparently his bank account rivals that of a Rockefeller. He and Carrie go shopping for a swank Fifth Avenue penthouse apartment without debating the financials. But now that they are moving in together, the talk of marriage surfaces in earnest.
Meanwhile, the hellcat Samantha (Kim Cattrall), oversexed to an extreme, is living a luxurious life at a Malibu beachfront home, while tending to the needs of her only client, Smith Jerrod (Jason Lewis), an actor putting in long hours at the studio. When not spying on the hunky next-door neighbor, Samantha alleviates boredom by flying off to New York for constant reunions with her gal pals, which also include the stressed-out Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and stable homemaker Charlotte (Kristin Davis).
About every 10 minutes, the four ladies seem to have another get-together somewhere in Manhattan, either at a fashion show, trendy nightclub or an exclusive Fifth Avenue store. On the other hand, their effusive greetings to one another suggest they haven’t seen each other in years. Perhaps this is one way to communicate the self-evident truth that these women are self-absorbed and shallow. After awhile, you can only have so many conversations about marriage, sex, shopping and fashion. Therefore, the story launches subplots involving the men in their lives.
Without giving away too much, let’s just say that the pending nuptials of Carrie and Mr. Big will not go smoothly. Lack of sexual intimacy threatens to unravel the marriage of Miranda and Steve (David Eigenberg). We already know about the perils of Samantha’s overactive libido, so that leaves Charlotte as the only one who remains sensible, and yet she ends up the literal butt of a joke on a jaunt to a Mexican beach resort.
A welcome new character is Jennifer Hudson’s Louise, Carrie’s young personal assistant who knows how to get mileage out of rented brand-name handbags.
Disappointingly, “Sex and the City” has only a few laughs. You’d think the film would have had more comic potential. Still, the ardent fans of the series are unlikely to be dissuaded from rushing to the cinema for an entertainment that seemingly has attained a cult status.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
One of the benefits of DVD releases is the opportunity to see films that might not have had wide distribution at the cinema.
Starring Demi Moore and Michael Caine, “Flawless” failed to garner the attention it deserved at the box office. These two stars play unlikely partners who plan an audacious diamond heist in retribution to a company that has done them wrong.
Set during 1960 at the London Diamond Company, “Flawless” allows Moore’s driven executive frustrated by a glass ceiling after years of faithful employment to be lured into an ingenious plan by Caine’s invisible nighttime janitor who has amassed a startling amount of knowledge about how the company functions.
At once nostalgic and classy, this film is a thrilling caper in the tradition of the better British crime dramas.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
Still rocking, 'Indiana Jones' packs a great action punch
Written by Tim Riley
Saturday, 24 May 2008
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL
(Rated PG-13)
For a guy who could be collecting Social Security, Harrison Ford remains surprisingly virile and tough, resolutely up to the challenge of cracking the whip and punching out the bad guys in yet another turn as Indiana Jones.
Jokes are being made about his age-challenged durability, as he returns in his latest adventure, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” One central character cracks wise that Indiana Jones must be about “80” years old, before learning quickly that this action hero is no ordinary senior citizen. Almost two decades after last playing the role of the archaeologist, Harrison Ford is in fine fettle as the academic who vastly prefers dangerous adventures.
Fortunately for us, Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones has weathered the years very well since “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” For the sake of chronological credibility and storyline continuity, this fourth installment of the adventures of the whip-toting, snake-hating, globe-trotting professor zooms past the dealings with the Nazis leading up to the full-blown Second World War and leaps to the nastiness of the Soviets during the Cold War era of 1957.
These dictatorial regimes are truly interchangeable, and when Indiana’s new nemesis appears in the slinky villainess form of Cate Blanchett’s Irina Spalko, you can only marvel at how she’s cut from the same mold of a psychotic Nazi. The Reds are just as eager to get their mitts on objects that possess highly curious powers, this time the legendary Crystal Skull of Akator.
Indiana’s exploits start with a real jolt. At a remote Nevada military base, Indiana and his sidekick Mac (Ray Winstone) barely escape a close scrape with nefarious Soviet agents under the command of the ice queen Soviet commander, the devastatingly beautiful Irina Spalko. After another close call with death, Professor Jones heads back to his duties at Marshall College, only to find out that his adventures have become a liability to the university.
On his way out of town, Indiana meets rebellious young Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf), who rides his motorcycle like Marlon Brando in “The Wild One” and combs his pompadour hairstyle with the vigor of Edd Byrnes in “77 Sunset Strip.”
Carrying a grudge and a proposition for the professor, Mutt seeks Indy’s help to make one of the most spectacular archaeological finds in history, namely the celebrated object of fascination, superstition and fear which can only be found in the remotest corners of Peru.
Heading to South America in search of the Crystal Skull is adventure enough when Indy and Mutt end up in the ancient tombs where danger lurks around every corner, and not just from the natives. They soon realize they are not alone in their search, as the Soviets are also hot on the trail of the crystal object that may confer extraordinary powers to potentially alter the balance of power.
This being an Indiana Jones adventure, of course, it goes without saying that the action is of the highest caliber, given the steady hand of director Steven Spielberg setting the stage. While there are some interesting revelations about Indiana, it’s also very rewarding to have Karen Allen’s Marion Ravenwood reappear at a very critical moment when Indy and Mutt are greatly outnumbered by the bad guys in the South American jungle. Ever spunky and resourceful, Marion is a very tough character, one who seems quite fitting to match wits with the Professor.
The action is so breathless in its pace and execution that it seems you need a scorecard to keep track of all the fights, chases and rounds of machine gunfire. There’s even a moment where Indy has to grapple with a big snake as a means to avoid quicksand. The Crystal Skull comes in handy to ward off hostile natives and armies of huge red ants. Best of all, Indiana Jones looks great wearing his fedora, though cracking the whip is what he does with panache. Forget the doubters and cynics.
You really can’t go wrong with Harrison Ford leading the charge in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” It’s a terrific launch for the summer movie season.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Though its release date is not until June 3, I couldn’t wait to write about “Mannix: Season One,” the long-running detective drama starring Mike Connors as the tough and cynical Joe Mannix.
Having watched a few episodes, I am hooked on this show, which hearkens back to the golden age of the detective shows.
Mike Connors is one cool cat as the old-school detective with rugged good looks and the ability to trade punches with the bad guys. It’s easy to see why this show was so popular. The dialogue is great, and the action is even better.
I noticed that Mannix seems to get knocked unconscious in most episodes. He’s probably had more concussions than Troy Aikman.
In this first season, Mannix is employed by a big agency that relies on computers, while he sticks to his gut instincts. Naturally, his rough-and-tumble approach carries the day.
Another fun thing about “Mannix” is the appearance of many guest stars that remain recognizable nearly 40 years later.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
