filmland / By Charlie Myers

Kiddie Fare

But Twilight and Bolt pleasantly confound expectations

(Nov. 26, 2008) Previews

Opening Wednesday, Nov. 26, is Australia, a historical epic set prior to WWII. Directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge), the film stars Nicole Kidman as an Englishwoman who inherits an Australian ranch and Hugh Jackman as her Aussie partner. PG-13 for some violence, a scene of sensuality and brief strong language. 155m. At the Broadway, Fortuna and Mill Creek.

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Four Christmases is a comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn as a married couple who are obligated to spend the holiday with four divorced parents. Also starring Sissy Spacek, Robert Duvall and Mary Steenburgen. Rated PG-13 for some sexual humor and language. 82m At the Broadway, Fortuna and Mill Creek.

Transporter 3 continues the saga of professional driver Frank Martin, played again by Jason Statham. This time he has to deliver a kidnapped woman from Marseilles to Odessa. There are probably some speed bumps along the way. Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, some sexual content and drug material. 100m At the Broadway and Mill Creek.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is the story of a friendship between privileged German boy Bruno and a Jewish boy his age named Shmuel, who is in a nearby concentration camp, a fact Bruno initially doesn’t understand. Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust. 93m. At the Broadway.

Reviews

BOLT: Low expectations really do make actual experience so much rosier. The most recent case in point relates to the two local film openings this past Friday. Faced with a choice of a Disney computer animated feature starring a small, deluded white Shepherd who believes he’s a superhero and a chaste “young adult” vampire film where the pathetic vampire calls himself a “vegetarian” because he drinks animal blood instead of human, I went into a deep movie malaise. How was I going to face this lost weekend?

Clearly, this intro is leading up to a pleasant surprise. Not only did Bolt disperse my funk, it accomplished what the best films aimed at a young audience always do: It appealed to adults as well, even this superannuated one.

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