R.V. is one of those movies—and there are at least one or two every year—that starts off the unofficial spring/summer movie season by opening at number one in box office sales because they’ve saturated every network on television with commercials that feature the same three or four goofy scenes without telling us anything about the movie, in order to lure huge throngs of families to see it, until three or four weeks later when the families realize that they’ve wasted their money, but by then they don’t care because the next big “box office smash” is out, and it starts the whole process over again. Yeah, it’s one of those movies.
Akeelah and the Bee is quite a strange little movie. It has all the elements of a summer flop. First of all, it’s a movie about a spelling bee, of all things. You remember spelling bees, don’t you? This is that joyous event when your teacher makes you get up in front of the class and spell words like “sociopolitical” or “mnemonic.” And when you use the wrong vowel or forget a silent letter and send everyone in the class into nonstop fits of laughter.
This story is full of unexpected surprises. Because Halle Berry complained about having small supporting roles in the first two movies, this time her character, Storm, now plays a larger role, as she and Wolverine must lead the team. If you’ve seen the first two, prepare to be shocked; that’s all I’m saying.
The movie has its entertaining moments, but it was a tired old story that couldn’t decide where it wanted go and it didn’t want to take any risks. It was simple and predictable all the way through. The book by Lauren Weisberger (which I will probably read now) was a bestseller for six months, and I’m curious to find out what the filmmakers did to it. If the book sold millions, I have to believe that it was changed dramatically.
Fourteen young women have their sights set on the Miss Nevada title this year. Four of these ladies are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and they all feel that winning this title will help them become better people and more able to serve others.
Director John Lasseter (Toy Story, A Bug’s Life) brings the world of Cars to life in a fun and imaginative way. Everybody and everything is some kind of vehicle. Flies and mosquitoes are tiny Volkswagen Bugs with wings and tractors are cows. At one point in the film Mater takes Lightning out for some “tractor tippin’.” Gas stations are restaurants, garages are motels, paint shops are clothing stores, and tire shops are shoe stores.
Jared Hess, writer and director of Napoleon Dynamite brings us Nacho Libre, an equally crazy movie about equally weird people. Jack Black stars as a Mexican friar called Ignacio—Nacho is his nickname—who is not content with his life as a cook in an orphanage.
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