“Rango” (PG) **** “Rango” starts as a satirical send-up of drama in general with a chameleon later known as “Rango” ruminating on dramatic arcs, pacing, character development and the whole jargon of “serious theater.” After a truck accident in which Rango’s terrarium is shattered and he is left stranded in the desert, informed by...
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“Just Go With It” (PG-13) *** The title says it all. The plot is ridiculous, the characters outrageous, and it doesn’t make any sense if you analyze it — so just go with it. What you will get is great chemistry between Adam Sandler as Danny and Jennifer Aniston as Katherine (aka “Devlin”) and...
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“The Green Hornet” (PG-13) *** A nerdy, hip-hop version of a superhero story with accompaniment by Beethoven is one way to describe “The Green Hornet.” Bouncing off old Hornet radio scripts by George Trendle, this script takes all sorts of liberties with the superhero format, and the result is a real romp. Yes, Cameron...
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“Morning Glory” (PG-13) **** The trailers were misleading. They indicated that this was Rachel McAdams’ movie. The pivotal character, however, the anchor, the fulcrum is Harrison Ford. His character is so deliciously awful — he’s defined early on as “the third worst person in the world” — and so consistently hideous that he controls...
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“Mao’s Last Dancer” (PG) ***** An absolute gem of a film. It is based on a true story of a Chinese dancer who defected in the ‘80s while a student with the Houston Ballet. The director of the ballet at the time was Ben Stevenson, who served four remarkable years here in Washington as...
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“Get Low” (PG-13) ***** Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) is a reclusive, highly anti-social hermit, so it is no surprise that he has a secret. For 40 years he lived in a self-imposed hermitic state in isolated repentance for an act for which he cannot forgive himself. He breaks out of his isolation after seeing...
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“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” (PG-13) ** I still don’t like vampire movies. Call me contrarian and I know that what the critics say will not touch these pictures, but that does not remove from us the responsibility for commenting on their weaknesses. Start with the actors: Robert Pattison still mumbles, poses and slinks his...
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“Toy Story 3” (G) ***** Not a big fan of animated movies in general, I remained withdrawn until a Fisher-Price wooden phone with a red receiver turned into a hero. They had me from there on. My son had the same phone when he was much younger than Andy, the human kid who is...
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