The Kid Kicks Ass

A-Team, not so much while Splice barely cuts it

(June 17, 2010) Previews:

The big opening this weekend is Toy Story 3, the three-quel (in 3D) in the über-successful Pixar/Disney franchise. At this point the boy, Andy, is going off to college and Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen) and the other toys end up (accidentally) donated to a daycare center ruled by a stuffed bear (Ned Beatty) who sounds like a character from Cool Hand Luke. Rated G. Opening Friday at the Broadway, Mill Creek (2D only) and the Fortuna.

A-Team

GALLERY >

Jonah Hex is another in the new tradition of movies based on comic books, this one a Western. Josh Brolin has the title role as the scarred antihero, a bounty hunter with a price on his head, pitted against an old enemy (John Malkovich), a terrorist who’s ready to unleash Hell. Think Tarantino spaghetti western. While this is a live action film, director Jimmy Hayward comes from the animation world having worked on Toy Story, Finding Nemo and other Pixar hits. Rated PG-13. Opening Friday at the Broadway and Mill Creek.

What could be cuter than a baby? How about four of them? French director Thomas Balmès’ documentary Babies, aka Bébé(s), shows us the first year of life for babes from Tokyo, Namibia, Mongolia and San Francisco. Aww. Rated PG for cultural and maternal nudity throughout. Starts Friday at the Minor.

The Arcata Theatre Lounge looks to the future with a pair of neo-classics. Thursday it’s Luc Besson’s brilliant The Fifth Element with Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich fighting the forces of evil embodied by Gary Oldman. On Friday, George Miller’s Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome stars Mel Gibson in the last installment in the post-apocalyptic action franchise. Tina Turner shines as Aunty Entity, ruler of Bartertown.

— Bob Doran

Reviews:

THE KARATE KID. It’s always a good feeling to be pleasantly surprised by a film. Such is the case with the remake of The Karate Kid, which I approached with little expectation, but ended up seduced by its sweetness and non-jaded approach to the coming-of-age/underdog narrative. Some of that feeling was due to my fondness for stories about young people on the verge of discovering themselves — some was due to the presence of young actors Jaden Smith and Han Wenwen.

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