Watch Captain America, ditch Winnie the Pooh

Watch ‘Captain America,’ ditch ‘Winnie the Pooh’

By Joseph J. Airdo

If you watch only one of the movies newly released to DVD this week, make it “Captain America: The First Avenger,” in which Chris Evans plays a scrawny young man who is transformed into a supersoldier by an experimental program. Resonating with feelings of patriotism and inspiration, this is one of the best cinematic superhero efforts to date. Best of all, the action-packed flick features an old-fashioned feel that grants the story a strange sense of historical importance.

If superhero flicks are not your cup of tea, then check out “Father of Invention,” in which Kevin Spacey plays a former millionaire who, having been recently released from prison, must reinvent himself before he can rebuild his infomercial empire. The movie is funny without being too outrageous, touching without being too sentimental and dramatic without being too serious all while passing on familial values to viewers without hitting them over the head with disparagement.

Indie dramedy fans have a solid choice this week with “A Little Help,” in which Jenna Fischer plays a widow who, feeling her life spinning out of control, drinks too much and goes along with her son’s outrageous lie about how his father really died. In addition to having realistically flawed characters with whom you can easily relate, the movie is also incredibly charming and emotionally resonant.

However, regardless what new movie you check out on DVD, it cannot be as bad as “Winnie the Pooh,” a feature-length animated adventure inspired by three of A. A. Milne’s classic stories. Walt Disney has created a major motion picture that is akin to something parents play for preschoolers to keep them mentally subdued during housework. However, the film is even a mediocre babysitter as children will likely require a toy to remain occupied from start to finish.

Joseph J. Airdo, 27, is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media analysis and criticism. In addition to Phoenix.org, Joseph is a film columnist for several outlets throughout the Valley, including Examiner.com/Phoenix and AZ Weekly Entertainment Magazine. Listen to Joseph’s “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O’Brien” on KBSZ – NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.

See ‘Johnny English Reborn,’ flee ‘Three Musketeers’

See ‘Johnny English Reborn,’ flee ‘Three Musketeers’

By Joseph J. Airdo

Of the new movies now playing in Phoenix theaters, “Johnny English Reborn” is easily the best. Granted, the movie – in which Rowan Atkinson plays a bumbling secret agent who uses his questionable combat skills and high-tech gadgets to protect a Chinese leader from a band of assassins – is utterly ridiculous on almost every level imaginable but when it comes to making people laugh, the movie is spy-tacularly hilarious.

Of course, will Halloween coming up, “Paranormal Activity 3” is naturally the hot-ticket. In it, A wedding videographer places cameras throughout his home to uncover the source of late-night noises that are disturbing his family. Unfortunately, the supernatural flick does not do anything that its two predecessors did not already do and is therefore unlikely to give you nightmares but it is still fun to watch thanks to some startling moments.

A better horror is “The Woman,” which is playing exclusively at The Royale in Mesa. In it, Sean Bridgers plays a lawyer who puts his family in jeopardy when he captures the last member of a violent clan and tries to forcibly tame her. While the movie could have benefited from a faintly faster pace, this piece of exploitation cinema with a moral (imagine that) is as smart as it is savage and is therefore the perfect pre-Halloween entertainment.

However, you would do best to avoid “The Three Muskeeters,” director Paul W.S. Anderson’s attempt to bring author Alexandre Dumas’s classic 1844 serialized novel to the big screen. Other than some fairly impressive computer-generated visual effects, the movie offers nothing new to a story that has already been told a few too many times in cinema – which is unfortunate given its tremendous acting talent, including Logan Lerman, Ray Stevenson, Christoph Waltz, Orlando Bloom and Milla Jovovich.

Joseph J. Airdo, 27, is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media analysis and criticism. In addition to Phoenix.org, Joseph is a film columnist for several outlets throughout the Valley, including Examiner.com/Phoenix and AZ Weekly Entertainment Magazine. Listen to Joseph’s “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O’Brien” on KBSZ – NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.

See ‘The Way,’ flee ‘The Thing’

See ‘The Way,’ flee ‘The Thing’

By Joseph J. Airdo

Personal transformation rules this weekend in Valley theaters as “The Way” – a motion picture from writer/director Emilio Estevez – is the movie to see above all others. In it, Martin Sheen plays a father who heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the “El Camino de Santiago” from France to Spain. Simply seeing something this spiritually stimulating is exceptionally enriching in and of itself.

Meanwhile, “The Big Year,” a comedy starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson as three men who race around North America in a prestigious contest to see who can spot the greatest number of bird species in a single year, is also inspiring – albeit to a lesser extent. Unfortunately, screenwriter Howard Franklin is more concerned with making us laugh than making us feel. Fortunately, one character’s storyline has enough heart to compensate for the other two.

Of course, this weekend’s hot-ticket is “Footloose,” a remake of the 1984 film starring Kevin Bacon. The movie, in which Kenny Wormald plays a rebellious teen who incurs the wrath of a much-loved clergyman (Dennis Quaid) by dating his daughter (Julianne Hough) and challenging their town’s ban on loud music and dancing, is fun and infectious but this critic personally prefers the “Step Up” franchise – which is much more lively and better illustrates artistic expression through dance – any day of the week.

However, regardless which of the aforementioned new releases you choose this weekend, you are certain to be more entertained (not to mention enlightened) than if you see “The Thing.” Billed as “a prelude to John Carpenter’s classic 1982 film of the same name,” the horror flick is not so much of a prequel as it is a tired retread. Screenwriter Eric Heisserer fails to shed any new light on the subject. Instead, much like the movie’s monster, he merely mimics it.

Joseph J. Airdo, 27, is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media analysis and criticism. In addition to Phoenix.org, Joseph is a film columnist for several outlets throughout the Valley, including Examiner.com/Phoenix and AZ Weekly Entertainment Magazine. Listen to Joseph’s “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O’Brien” on KBSZ – NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.

Watch The Howling Reborn, ditch Freerunner

Watch ‘The Howling: Reborn,’ ditch ‘Freerunner’

By Joseph J. Airdo

Though it is not spectacularly scary, “The Howling: Reborn” is this critic’s pick to “watch” of all of the movies newly released to Blu-ray and DVD this week in the Valley if only because Halloween is right around the corner. Landon Liboiron plays Will Kidman, a high school student who discovers a dark secret from his past – that he is a werewolf. The flick is fun to watch but feels too influenced by “The Twilight Saga’s” melodramatic approach to horror.

Foreign film fans, on the other hand, will likely want to rent Italian writer/director Giuseppe Tornatore’s latest effort “Baarìa.” Though beautiful beyond belief, the movie – which traces the progress of a young man named Peppino as well as that of his country – is too grand for its own good. That is to say that Tornatore’s ambitions are ridiculously high as he packs entirely too much story into a single movie.

Meanwhile, “Red State” may be writer/director Kevin Smith’s most accomplished effort – and certainly his most fascinating – but its messy storytelling and unfocused narrative make it one of his least entertaining. In the thriller, a group of teenagers receive an online invitation for sex only to encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda. At the very least, one must give credit to Smith – who is best known for his comedies – for thinking out of the box and trying his hand at something different.

However, whichever of this week’s new DVDs you rent, avoid “Freerunner” at all costs. There is no better way to describe the new action flick about urban acrobatic freerunning (this parkour) than as a cinematic headache. Unwatchable in every sense of the word, the is an absolute mess – from the abysmal acting to the preposterous plot and – worst of all – a frantic filmmaking style that is reason enough to “ditch” this truly detestable effort.

Joseph J. Airdo, 27, is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media analysis and criticism. In addition to Phoenix.org, Joseph is a film columnist for several outlets throughout the Valley, including Examiner.com/Phoenix and AZ Weekly Entertainment Magazine. Listen to Joseph’s “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O’Brien” on KBSZ – NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.

Watch ‘Beautiful Boy,’ ditch ‘Zookeeper’

Watch ‘Beautiful Boy,’ ditch ‘Zookeeper’

By Joseph J. Airdo

Of this week’s new movies released to Blu-ray and DVD in the Valley, “Beautiful Boy” is the best. The exceptionally courageous motion picture, in which Michael Sheen and Maria Bello play parents who try to cope with the knowledge that their son at college went on a deadly shooting spree before killing himself, transcends the medium with its tenacity, possessing the potential to be tenderly therapeutic for a society in which snap-judgments born from anger are the unfortunate norm.

If that is a bit too deep and dramatic for you, try “Horrible Bosses,” an R-rated comedy in which Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis play three oppressed workers who devise a complex and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their intolerable employers. The fun – albeit far-out – fantasy with which most anyone who has ever worked for someone else can relate is recklessly unpredictable and wildly funny.

However, the biggest DVD release of the week is probably “The Green Lantern,” a superhero flick in which Ryan Reynolds plays a test pilot who becomes the first human to join a band of warriors sworn to preserve peace and justice throughout the universe. What the movie lacks in believability and coherence it makes up for in sheer spectacle. However, most viewers will react with little more than indifference with sci-fi factors flying right over their heads.

It is still leaps and bounds better than “The Zookeeper,” though. Starring Kevin James about a bunch of zoo animals who reveal their secret ability to talk and teach their caretaker how to woo the ladies, the family-friendly comedy distances itself from far superior efforts like “Babe” and even “Dr. Doolittle,” flying too far over the top for adults thereby appealing primarily to very young children.

Joseph J. Airdo, 27, is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media analysis and criticism. In addition to Phoenix.org, Joseph is a film columnist for several outlets throughout the Valley, including Examiner.com/Phoenix and AZ Weekly Entertainment Magazine. Listen to Joseph’s “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O’Brien” on KBSZ – NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.

See ‘Real Steel,’ flee ‘Restless’

Real Steel

See ‘Real Steel,’ flee ‘Restless’

By Joseph J. Airdo

The competition may be stiff in Phoenix movie theaters this weekend but the contender that most deserves your dough is “Real Steel,” a family-friendly special effects extravaganza in which Hugh Jackman plays a boxing promoter who builds a championship contender for the robot ring. Featuring some surprisingly genuine emotion, the flick may very well compel you to stand up and cheer at the culmination of the final fight.

The weekend’s other wide release “The Ides of March,” a political drama about a campaign press secretary (Ryan Gosling) who becomes involved in a scandal that threatens to smash his candidate’s (George Clooney) bid for the presidency, may begin loquaciously but a dramatic second half more than makes up for that. Unfortunately, the motion picture is not exactly hard-hitting in either the intensity of its story and the weight of its issues.

Of course, the arthouse crowd also has several films from which to choose. Their best bet is “Margaret,” a movie playing exclusively at Harkins Camelview 5 that clocks in at nearly 2-and-a-half hours. The self-aware drama, in which Anna Paquin plays a high school student who, feeling responsible for a fatal traffic accident, lashes out when her attempts to make amends meet with opposition, is filled with incredible insights and deeply-felt emotions.

However, whatever you do, steer clear of “Restless,” director Gus Van Sant’s romantic drama about a gravely ill teen (Mia Wasikowska) and a guy (Henry Hopper) who talks to ghosts. Playing exclusively at AMC Desert Ridge 18 and Harkins Shea 14, the movie is a morbidly mundane melodrama. With each passing moment, the flick develops a depressing demeanor with self-pity seeping from the seems of each and every scene.

Joseph J. Airdo, 27, is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media analysis and criticism. In addition to Phoenix.org, Joseph is a film columnist for several outlets throughout the Valley, including Examiner.com/Phoenix and AZ Weekly Entertainment Magazine. Listen to Joseph’s “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O’Brien” on KBSZ – NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.

Watch ‘Scre4m,’ ditch ‘Fast Five’

Scre4m Now Released

By Joseph J. Airdo

New on DVD at Phoenix’s retail stores and rental outlets today and just in time for Halloween is “Scre4m,” the fourth entry of Wes Craven’s horror film franchise. The story picks up on the 15th anniversary of the Woodsboro murders just as a new batch of teens begin showing up dead in a frighteningly familiar fashion. It is a nostalgic piece of gory genius that lives up to its predecessors even better than anyone had hoped it would.

However, if horror flicks are not your cup of tea, “African Cats” may be the “purrfect”choice. Centered on two cat families and how they teach their cubs the ways of the wild, DisneyNature’s latest effort is paws-down one of the best nature documentaries to be released in recent years, transcending the genre by establishing an emotionally enthralling fairy tale that will completely captivate moviegoers of all ages with characters about whom you sincerely care.

Of course, those cinephiles who missed Richard Ayoade’s quirky “Submarine” when it played earlier this year at Harkins Camelview 5 can finally catch it on DVD. Though the indie dramedy is frequently too cute for comfort, seemingly desperate for praise in connection to its idiosyncrasy, and occasionally stumbles into strange sequences that resemble rock music videos of no consequence whatsoever, it succeeds in its search for poignancy in the coming-of-age experience.

Meanwhile, “Fast Five” – in which Paul Walker and Vin Diesel return as Brian O’Conner and Dom Torretto, respectively, who join forces to confront a corrupt businessman who wants them dead – delivers the perfect blend of character-driven drama and hi-octane action. However, it is undoubtedly the week’s weakest DVD release as director Justin Lin does very little to up the ante from the action franchise’s previous four installments, resulting in a cinematic effort that is guaranteed to be forgotten shortly after watching.

Joseph J. Airdo, 27, is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media analysis and criticism. In addition to Phoenix.org, Joseph is a film columnist for several outlets throughout the Valley, including Examiner.com/Phoenix and AZ Weekly Entertainment Magazine. Listen to Joseph’s “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O’Brien” on KBSZ – NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.

SEE 50/50 AND MACHINE GUN PREACHER, FLEE WHATS YOUR NUMBER

Your best bet in Phoenix movie theaters this weekend is“50/50,” a comedy starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a young man who, diagnosed with malignant tumors up and down his spine, vows to beat his illness. Aside from being seriously funny, the film is also respectably realistic, powerfully poignant and uniquely uplifting.

However, “Machine Gun Preacher,” a drama starring Gerard Butler as a former drug-dealing biker who finds God and becomes a crusader for hundreds of Sudanese children, is also worth a look. Playing exclusively at Harkins Camelview 5, the movie – which, by the way, is based on a true story –  powerfully portrays the heart of the ultimate spiritual struggle.

If both of those new releases are a bit too serious for your cinematic palette, try “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil,” a dark comedy starring Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk as two scruffy pals whose backwoods vacation takes a bloody turn when ignorant college students mistake them for a pair of murderous hillbillies. Playing exclusively at Harkins Valley Art, it an extraordinarily unique motion picture with one wicked sense of humor.

Meanwhile, arthouse connoisseurs will want to check out “Love Crime,” a keenly crafted women-of-the-workplace thriller starring Kristen Scott Thomas and Ludivine Sagnier. Playing exclusively at UltraStar Scottsdale Pavilions, the French flick brings a savoir faire to the fine art of retaliation, giving moviegoers an opportunity to stretch not only their emotions but also their intelligence around every titillating twist and turn.

Regardless which of this weekend’s new releases you choose to see, it is bound to be better than “What’s Your Number?” The romantic comedy, in which Anna Faris plays an unmarried woman who revisits her numerous ex-boyfriends to find out if one of them could be her true love, shows potential but lets cold feet scare it right back into the same old genre formula.

Joseph J. Airdo, 27, is a Walter Cronkite School of Journalism graduate with a bachelor’s degree in media analysis and criticism. In addition to Phoenix.org, Joseph is a film columnist for several outlets throughout the Valley, including Examiner.com/Phoenix and AZ Weekly Entertainment Magazine. Listen to Joseph’s “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O’Brien” on KBSZ – NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.