Movie Review Black Los Angeles

BlackNLA Movie Reviews

*****THE REEL DEAL: Reviewz from the Street*****

by Edwardo Jackson

BIASES: 30 (yikes!) year old black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare

OVER THE HEDGE (PG)

MOVIE BIASES: Good marketing, but me no likey kiddie flicks.

MAJOR PLAYERS: Voices of Bruce Willis (Hostage), Steve Carell (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Garry Shandling (TV's "Garry Shandling Show"), Wanda Sykes (Monster-in-Law), and directors Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick

Resourceful, adventurous, worldly raccoon RJ (Willis)has one week to get back all of the food he squandered to a big bad bear (Nick Nolte) before he wakes up from hibernation in his national park. Venturing out into the world of humans, RJ stumbles across an enclave of peaceable foragers - including nebbishy turtle leader
Vern (Shandling), dramatic, 'fraidy cat possum Ozzie (William Shatner), and Hammy (Carell) the hyperactive squirrel, among others -just awaking from hibernation themselves to find a hedge put up separating them from a new housing development that has eaten up their beloved forest. Usually a loner, RJ rallies the clan behind his avant garde gathering methods, which focus on stealing as much
food from humans as possible. But when the president of the homeowner's association (Allison Janney) decides to fight back with some professional help, the critters' lives - and food supply - may just be at stake.

As with most of these animated projects, the animation is top notch, so the movie's performance hangs on that of its vocal cast. Only Wanda Sykes, as Stella the skunk, could make an attitudinal, oversensitive skunk sexy. Shandling is, of course, Central Casting as naturally tentative turtle Vern. Typecast as himself, William
Shatner plays good sport in celebrating his intrinsically overdramatic staccato rhythms as overprotective possum Ozzie. Bruce Willis, an unlikely choice for cute-and-cuddly high-tech cartoons, is ideal as the adorably blue-eyed, mischievous raccoon RJ. Voicing him with the confidence of a hustler yet the weakness of a
compulsive gambler (i.e. he never knows when enough is enough - which is why RJ relates so well to us overindulgent humans), Willis is fully invested in this kid-flavored action pic, a heist movie of survivalist proportions. And who else to call when you need to save the world, er, forest, than Mr. "Armageddon" himself?

The unexpected breakout star of the movie - if not the summer - is, hands down, Steve Carell's Hammy the squirrel. Endearing, hyperactive, and oh so focused ("But I love the cookie..."), Hammy is even cuter than those video game-addicted baby porcupines. Carell is so hyper in this film, a Red Bull's Red Bull, blended with
Starbucks' strongest espresso, that I didn't even realize it was the man behind that same, dry, slow mannered, funny-because-he-thinks-he's-funny-when-he's-truly-unfunny Michael Scott of TV's "The Office" who gave voice to our dear, scattered Hammy. I love your cookie, too, Hammy.

Johnson and Kirkpatrick plus DreamWorks' talented animation crew have visualized a lush, realistic animal world that complements nicely the foreboding, complicated human one. The hilarious, crowd-pleasing script takes a satirical look at the evils of human excess, junk food, and waste (RJ, in explaining human behavior: "We eat to
live...they live to eat!") while mixing in parts of and an action flick of the animals in the contradictory, sometimes inexplicable humanoid world. Aided by a fine action music score supervised by Hans Zimmer (Gladiator), "Hedge," with something for everyone in the household, is a true family entertainment. In fact, the screening
room full of kids I saw this with was eerily silent throughout, as the minors were awed by the visuals; I call this movie the "perfect pre-teen pacifier." Outstanding direction featuring inspired creativity from Johnson and Kirkpatrick (including a montage/ode to food as seen through an animal's eyes) highlight the central themes
of the script: how much is too much, natural selection and survival of the fittest versus the ethical quandary of stealing, and group dynamics/family as opposed to rugged individualism.

With all this going on, "Over the Hedge" accomplishes the main caveat of summer season cinema: entertain me - hard. It has "Shrek"-like franchisable potential, "Over the Hedge" is just that good. Go see what's over there.

@@@@ REELS
(FOUR REELS)
An urban legend/instant classic.

Like what you read? Agree/disagree with The Reel Deal? Think he's talkin' out his...HUSH YO' MOUF! (I'm only talkin' about The Reel Deal!) Email him at ReelReviewz@aol.com!

Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for UrbanFilmPremiere.com, and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com




			BlackNLA Movie Reviews ***THE REEL DEAL: Reviewz from the Street*** by Edwardo Jackson BIASES: 30 (yikes!) year old black male; frustrated screenwriter who favors action, comedy, and glossy, big budget movies over indie flicks, kiddie flicks, and weepy Merchant Ivory fare OVER THE HEDGE (PG) MOVIE BIASES: Good marketing, but me no likey kiddie flicks. MAJOR PLAYERS: Voices of Bruce Willis (Hostage), Steve Carell (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Garry Shandling (TV's "Garry Shandling Show"), Wanda Sykes (Monster-in-Law), and directors Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick Resourceful, adventurous, worldly raccoon RJ (Willis)has one week to get back all of the food he squandered to a big bad bear (Nick Nolte) before he wakes up from hibernation in his national park. Venturing out into the world of humans, RJ stumbles across an enclave of peaceable foragers - including nebbishy turtle leader Vern (Shandling), dramatic, 'fraidy cat possum Ozzie (William Shatner), and Hammy (Carell) the hyperactive squirrel, among others -just awaking from hibernation themselves to find a hedge put up separating them from a new housing development that has eaten up their beloved forest. Usually a loner, RJ rallies the clan behind his avant garde gathering methods, which focus on stealing as much food from humans as possible. But when the president of the homeowner's association (Allison Janney) decides to fight back with some professional help, the critters' lives - and food supply - may just be at stake. As with most of these animated projects, the animation is top notch, so the movie's performance hangs on that of its vocal cast. Only Wanda Sykes, as Stella the skunk, could make an attitudinal, oversensitive skunk sexy. Shandling is, of course, Central Casting as naturally tentative turtle Vern. Typecast as himself, William Shatner plays good sport in celebrating his intrinsically overdramatic staccato rhythms as overprotective possum Ozzie. Bruce Willis, an unlikely choice for cute-and-cuddly high-tech cartoons, is ideal as the adorably blue-eyed, mischievous raccoon RJ. Voicing him with the confidence of a hustler yet the weakness of a compulsive gambler (i.e. he never knows when enough is enough - which is why RJ relates so well to us overindulgent humans), Willis is fully invested in this kid-flavored action pic, a heist movie of survivalist proportions. And who else to call when you need to save the world, er, forest, than Mr. "Armageddon" himself? The unexpected breakout star of the movie - if not the summer - is, hands down, Steve Carell's Hammy the squirrel. Endearing, hyperactive, and oh so focused ("But I love the cookie..."), Hammy is even cuter than those video game-addicted baby porcupines. Carell is so hyper in this film, a Red Bull's Red Bull, blended with Starbucks' strongest espresso, that I didn't even realize it was the man behind that same, dry, slow mannered, funny-because-he-thinks-he's-funny-when-he's-truly-unfunny Michael Scott of TV's "The Office" who gave voice to our dear, scattered Hammy. I love your cookie, too, Hammy. Johnson and Kirkpatrick plus DreamWorks' talented animation crew have visualized a lush, realistic animal world that complements nicely the foreboding, complicated human one. The hilarious, crowd-pleasing script takes a satirical look at the evils of human excess, junk food, and waste (RJ, in explaining human behavior: "We eat to live...they live to eat!") while mixing in parts of and an action flick of the animals in the contradictory, sometimes inexplicable humanoid world. Aided by a fine action music score supervised by Hans Zimmer (Gladiator), "Hedge," with something for everyone in the household, is a true family entertainment. In fact, the screening room full of kids I saw this with was eerily silent throughout, as the minors were awed by the visuals; I call this movie the "perfect pre-teen pacifier." Outstanding direction featuring inspired creativity from Johnson and Kirkpatrick (including a montage/ode to food as seen through an animal's eyes) highlight the central themes of the script: how much is too much, natural selection and survival of the fittest versus the ethical quandary of stealing, and group dynamics/family as opposed to rugged individualism. With all this going on, "Over the Hedge" accomplishes the main caveat of summer season cinema: entertain me - hard. It has "Shrek"-like franchisable potential, "Over the Hedge" is just that good. Go see what's over there. @@@@ REELS (FOUR REELS) An urban legend/instant classic. Like what you read? Agree/disagree with The Reel Deal? Think he's talkin' out his...HUSH YO' MOUF! (I'm only talkin' about The Reel Deal!) Email him at ReelReviewz@aol.com! Edwardo Jackson is the author of the novels EVER AFTER and NEVA HAFTA, (Villard/Random House), a writer for UrbanFilmPremiere.com, and an LA-based screenwriter. Visit his website at www.edwardojackson.com © 2004, Edwardo Jackson