Gary Wolcott's "Mr. Movie" column has appeared in the Tri-City Herald since 1992. The Tri-City native now lives in Portland, Ore., and watches about 250 movies each year. This member of Portland's association of movie critics, Far From Hollywood, believes movies are made to be seen on theater screens and should be seen there and not on television screens. Have a question for Mr. Movie? Click on "Add Comment" below. Mr. Movie has joined Twitter. Follow him here.
Johnsons stock has slipped from ex-superstar wrestler and Scorpion King and action-icon heir apparent to donning Dollar Store lace wings and a tutu to play a tooth fairy.
We must be realistic. Johnson is not close to a good actor. He is however big and buff. Johnson can realistically bop bad guys, blow things to smithereens with machine guns, cannons or whatever futuristic weapons producers and writers develop.
Now hes wearing a tutu.
A tutu?
Though Im not a fan, I do know his fans want to see the former wrestler be The Rock. They want action movies. Its sad to see someone with so much potential fall so far. Hes now akin to Vin Disel, Jackie Chan and former gangsta Ice Cube relegated to PG movies and babysitting kids that dont like him.
Lets get on with the matter at hand: Tooth Fairy.
Johnson plays a has-been major league hockey player relegated to the minor leagues where he builds a reputation for thuggery. Players he hits lose teeth, thus the title. Almost telling his girlfriends too-cute-to-be-true daughter there is no tooth fairy gets him sentenced to two-weeks duty as a real tooth fairy. Armed with an arsenal of shrink paste, forget-me-dust, a dog barking mint and other gizmos, Johnsons machismo is severely tested as he sprouts wings at inopportune times and flits hopelessly from one stupid sit-com scene to the next.
January is a movie dumping ground. Theaters are jammed with after thoughts. Films that seem like a good idea at the time, get produced and knowing theyre total bombs, the studios wait until this month to deliver the not-so-good goods.
Every year has a best example. Tooth Fairy is this years. Not even the awful but sometimes clever tooth jokes, puns and word twists or a funny cameo from Billy Crystal help this one.
Give it a root canal.
Better yet, pull the tooth.
Mr. Movie rating: 1 star
Rated PG for mature themes. It opens Friday, Jan. 22 at Regals Columbia Mall 8 and at the Fairchild Cinemas 12.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.
2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.
35th Annual Portland International Film Festival begins
The 35th Annual Portland International Film Festival has begun. It runs through February 25. For film fans this one is loaded. There are 140 films from 36 different countries — 93 are features and 46 shorts.
Portland isn’t that far from Tri-Cities art film lovers. This entry reviews a few films from the first weekend and Monday. I’ll be posting reviews throughout the series until its conclusion February 25th.
'Safe House' lots of camera movement for non-moving plot
The movie is Safe House . It is anything but safe.
Denzel Washington is Tobin Frost, a rogue agent the CIA has been hunting for years. He has a mysterious chip that a very violent group wants. They corner him and faced with certain death, Frost — who is in South Africa — turns himself in at the American Consulate.
Ryan Reynolds is Matt Weston. He’s a CIA rookie running the safe house. Nothing ever happens there. He spends every day alone with nothing to do. His safe his is where they take the captured Frost. The men chasing Frost seem to know he’s there. They raid the safe house, kill Frost’s elite guard forcing Weston and Frost go on the run.
'Contraband' a rare January movie that doesn't tank
Studios dump movies in January.
This month is when the biggies released between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day begin to fade and the studios begin dribbling award-worthy art films out to smaller markets.
A movie with the title Drive should not be left in "park."
Ryan Gosling is a Hollywood stunt driver who sometimes doubles as a getaway driver for criminals. From time to time, he does car races. A man of few words, he chooses to live a simple, lonely life. Drive here. Drive there. Go home. Wait.
Kudos to Battelle Film Club for bringing 'The Hedgehog'
The Hedgehog is a subtitled French film from 2009 that finally got released in the U.S. last year, and thanks to the Battelle Film Club , it will be seen in the Tri-Cities.
The story centers around Paloma, an 11-year old girl whose interests are philosophy and art.
No one in her family can relate. Her parents barely speak to each other much less to Paloma. The disconnected mom talks to plants, and the psychiatrist but can’t talk to her daughter. Dad is nowhere to be found.
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