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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL FLICK PICKS By Matt Soergel Morris News Service THE ANT ' BULLY 3 stars: There are many imaginative visual jokes packed into this fine, excit ing children’s story about a boy shrunk down to the size of an ant. Rousing adventure and narrow escapes await him. Lessons are learned too although they aren’t crammed down our throats. PG. SCOOP 3 stars: Woody Allen’s remaining fans should enjoy his latest, a breezy comedy set in London, where student journalist Scarlett Johansson goes investigating a charming rich guy (Hugh Jackman) who may just be a serial killer. Allen is a bum bling magician who poses as her dad. PG-13. A SCANNER DARKLY 3 stars: Richard Linklater adapts Philip K. Dick’s paranoid novel of a drug addicted future, animating his actors (Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr. and Woody Harrelson, among others) to make a moving painting. Adventurous types only should apply. R. MONSTER HOUSE 3 stars: Three kids check out the malignant and haunted house across the road in this computer-animated story. Children with chills on their mind should love it, though it’s so scary it could send others ducking under their seats. PG. CLERKS II 3 stars: The aging guys from Kevin Smith’s 1994 indie smash are back, still engaging in ear-blisteringly raunchy con versation and hilarious pop culture commentating. It’s more sentimental than the original, with an honest-to goodness romance (thanks to radiant Rosario Dawson). But the good news for fans: It’s still plenty juvenile. R. LADY IN THE WATER 2 stars: M. Night Shyamalan’s newest is one of the nutti est movies you’ll ever see, though it’s funnier and more watchable than you might think c even as the story, about a strange woman from a parallel world, spins way out of control. Has a couple of horror jolts, but it’s chief ly a mystical and earnest fairy tale. PG-13. PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST 2 stars: There’s one scene, featur ing Johnny Depp as a giant shish kebab, that’s a zesty chunk of comic genius. The rest of the movie? You do get your money’s worth of motley pirates, sea monsters and duels, but it’s overdone - way too long, too frantic, too dark and nowhere near as charming or funny as that wonderful first one. PG-13. YOU, ME AND DUPREE 1 1/2 stars: Owen Wilson is amusing in spots in this good natured comedy, playing a roommate who won’t leave the home of his newlywed friends (bland Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson). But the humor never catches fire - - it keeps getting doused by goopy sentimentality, com plete with sensitive acoustic guitars on the soundtrack. It’s no Wedding Crashers, that’s for sure. PG-13. SUPERMAN RETURNS 3 1/2 stars: Planes fall from the sky, fire comes up from below and a very bad man attacks the planet. Brandon Routh plays the most power ful character in movie his tory with a casual freedom, serious and intense with out being angry. (Robert McGinty, The Times- Union) PG-13. CLICK 3 stars: You’ll get plenty of everything Adam Sandler is known for, but you’ll also find a heartwarm ing lesson about priorities. (Erin Trauth, The Times- Union) PG-13. CARS 2 1/2 stars: The visuals are beyond gorgeous, the movie’s generally upbeat and the scenes over the end ing credits are a blast. But the story and characters are bland, the humor often mis fires and the film drags on for too long. It’s a service able family film, but we’ve come to expect much more than that from the happy geniuses at Pixar. G. ' f ,'* / *\lS ’ I * * ; v "i".a ; fp*' IS A, - 'mBHBBUBHHUBtiSBKmK' *w?f' r mj rrjvjrt SSIHBI •? I ■ i ' « |n B -r, .j. n\J i n K|\ bb 1H BESELH IK Jl P MMMBBBWraBfTIWI Actor Will Ferrell, left, and actress Leslie Bibb. ’Talladega’ slapdash but funny in spots By MATT SOERGEL Morris News Service Will Ferrell’s newNASCAR comedy isn’t as funny as his Anchorman, but you still have to like any movie in which one of the characters brags about his wedding: “We had a Styx cover band and a nacho fountain.” Or one that begins with a hitherto unknown Eleanor Roosevelt quote, circa 1936: “America is all about speed. Hot, nasty, bad-ass speed.” Or one that features two hellion sons named Walker and Texas Ranger. “(ID we wanted us some wusses, we woulda named “Dr. Quinn and Medicine Woman,” their mother rea sons, not unreasonably. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is chock full of such nuggets, along with the big absurdist streak that goes with the territory when you allow Ferrell to run all over it in his big white bunhugger undies. Poking great fun at America’s NASCAR-lov ing population, specifically those of the Southern vari ety, Talladega Nights often feels like little more than Making smart teen comedy tough, but not impossible By STEVEN UHLES Morris News Service Teen comedy is easy. Pepper a simple story say boy-meets-girl or underdog achieves success - with ran dom scatological references and an occasional incident of unexpected nudity, then watch the box office blos som. Making a smart teen com edy is a different story. Sure, the requisites of drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll might still be incorporated, but they represent the spice, not the substance, of the film. Whether it’s the girl power of Gidget or the overplayed underwear dance of Risky Business, the best teen moments are unearthed when a filmmaker finds a way to channel the exuber ance we all feel as we move into adulthood. Here are a few favorites: BETTER OFF DEAD (1985) Were teen angst and anxiety allowed to esca late unfettered, the result might be Lane Meyer, John Cusack’s quirky take on a young man in exis tential crisis. In true teen comedy fashion, our hero discovers that he is not better off dead. It takes a classic Chevrolet Camaro, a lovely French exchange student and some heroic skiing to drive that point home. ENTERTAINMENT TALLADEGA NIGHTS ■ Tut BmiAß Of mcKr Bobby At A Glance Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby 3 stars out of 4 Who’s it for? It isn’t great, but Will Ferrell’s fans will laugh; all others should skip this ride. Credits: Starring Will Ferrell, ‘ Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole and John C. Reilly. Directed by Adam McKay. Running time: 1 hour, 47 minutes. Family guide: PG-13. Some crude humor, pro fanity, comic violence. an extended riff on the You Might Be a Redneck If rou tine. But that’s fine: It’s worked for Jeff Foxworthy for umpteen years, after all. Ferrell is Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR legend and “big, hairy American win nin’ machine.” He’s got it all: A McMansion, a close relationship with the baby Jesus, a bunch of com mercial endorsements and REEL RELEASES FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF (1986) Smart, suave and lucky with the ladies, Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) is the kid a generation of men wanted to be and a generation of women, well, you get the idea. Although an almost constant cable presence has robbed this charming film of much of its power, it remains an enter taining, innovative teen comedy. ORANGE COUNTY (2002) This film is both a clas App AND ADVERTISE IT IN m' *) mjr' Btiuslmi Suuriwl __<lwfc&r v *V -i 2 MVS-4 LIKES mmKrWml $20.00 • isHmf 1 die-4 likes both a loyal best buddy/ fellow racer and a blond trophy wife (John C. Reilly and Leslie Bibb, both very funny). But then - cue the dis cordant jazz on the juke box down at the bar - he encounters his nemesis: Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen, a.k.a. Ali G) a French “Formule Une” driver spon sored by Perrier. Ricky Bobby and his good ol’ boy posse don’t know what to make of Jean and his tortured accent (“Did you eat some peanut but ter or something?” says a puzzled Reilly). Besides, he drinks little cups of mac chiato, reads Camus and listens to classical music - while racing. He hangs out with groovy hipsters Elvis Costello and Mos Def. And he has a loving hus band named Gregory (Andy Richter), with whom he raises horses who, we’re told, are also gay. Ricky Bobby’s long run at No. 1 is clearly doomed. While Ferrell is combining once again with Anchorman director Adam McKay, Talladega Nights isn’t as satisfying as that movie. Its sic coming-of-age tale and a ruthless satire of callow California lifestyles. Colin Hanks stars as a young scholar who has pinned his existence on studying with a famous writer at Stanford University. Jack Black appears as his pharmaceuti cally enhanced sibling. FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH (1982) Based on writer Cameron Crowe’s experiences posing as a California high school student for a Rolling Stone story, this film is less a tra ditional narrative than a surprisingly cohesive snap shot of a particular time, Sony Pictures targets are more obvious. It’s not as quotable. And it’s pretty slapdash - many of the scenes were improvised, and they often come to sudden stops before lurch ing on to another setting. Think of it as dozens of little sketches, loosely con nected, with some going on way too long. In fact, it all feels loose: Many of the highlights fea tured in the trailers didn’t even make it into the fin ished movie, which seems as if it was all made up at the last minute (it does promise an extended DVD version, however). Still, many of the film’s sketches are .worth a look: Ricky Bobby’s downfall and subsequent comeback have some amusing moments, especially when he’s given unconventional help from his absentee hillbilly father (Gary Cole). Along the way, it parodies feel-good sports movies, subverting their sentimentality at every turn. That joke about Tawny Kitaen and the Whitesnake video’s not bad, either. place and collection of young characters struggling to find their place in the world. Sean Penn’s star-making performance as the stoned surfer Jeff Spicoli always makes me wonder why the earnest actor doesn’t attempt more comedy. DROP DEAD GORGEOUS (1999) This black-hearted - but very funny mockumen tary stars Kristen Dunst as a would-be Diane Sawyer wanting to leave her low income existence behind her with the help of the Sarah Rose Miss Teen Princess Pageant. To her dismay, the competition for sash and tiara becomes so pitched that competitors actually begin to, well, drop dead. Apartment Homes Perry’s Best Kept Secret cS/te C/f cTrw fi/uri g 7- &ut ofentf. ♦ Beautiful 2 & 3 BR Apartment Homes ♦ Sparkling pool ♦ One Large 61 inch Screen TV! C <&a// cJm/ou cy&> G//n C 'fywt/iforent/ 1701 Macon Rd. • Perry, GA 31069 478-988-0917 SATURDAY, AUGUSTS, 20064 WEB WATCH By Rich Ray Morris News Service TV Squad Want to know about promising new shows scheduled for the upcom ing TV season? Looking for a few nuggets in the dismal summer TV view ing landscape? TV Squad bloggers and contribu tors provide insider tips, rumors, opinions, behind the-scenes information and TV-oriented infor mation here. Click to the weekly contribution titled Spoilers Anonymous for dirt about some of the more popular shows on the air. Recent TV Squad headlines include “Mel Gibson has played an L.A. cop before,” “Regis Philbin’s plan for world domination put on hold” and “Vanity Fair article to document Spelling’s last days.” www.tvsquad.com Games, etc. If you’re looking for puzzles, riddles, brain teasers, games or opti cal illusions, you’ll want to visit Brainßashers. com. Find crossword puzzles, stereograms, jig saw puzzles and Sudoku, plus classic games such as backgammon, chess and solitaire. Puzzle fans will revel in the array of offerings, from math and language puzzles to cryp tograms and “gotchas,” where there’s some sort of trick to finding the cor rect answer. Make sure to check out arcade games such as Pong, Asteroids and Snake Jump. www.brainbashers.com Hybrid Cars. com As fuel costs continue to increase, more of us are seriously consider ing hybrid cars. Part Web journal, part online com munity and part market research organization, this site shares informa tion about hybrid cars and their impact. Scroll down the home page to the Gas Pump Scoreboard, which compares current prices in different areas of the country to prices from the past week and a year ago. www.hybridcars.com JumpTheSharfe. com Remember the moment your favorite TV show reached its peak? The moment where you knew it’d be all downhill from that point forward? That’s what site creators here have deemed to be the “Jump the Shark” moment. Vote for the best Jump the Shark moment from your favorite show, review those posted for current and past shows, review top vote getters, and more. www.jumptheshark.com Going gourmet Promoted as “The gour met food and cooking resource,” the goal here is to help inform and educate people interested in food, cooking and eating. The Gourmet Sleuth offers a hefty serving of culinary articles on various foods and cooking topics. Find recipes that take a “how to” approach to food prep aration and search the database of food and bev erage-related sites, www. gourmetsleuth.com 5C IlIMt Ht I 12