Jun 21, 2007 8:48 pm US/Pacific
Review: Hollywood's Summer Season
CBS 5 Film Critic James Rocchi
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS 5) ―
Plenty of films are competing for your box-office dollar – from huge sequels to animated family fare:
Evan Almighty
(2 out of 4 Reels) A sequel (of sorts) to Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty, Evan Almighty takes Steve Carell's supporting –part newscaster Evan Baxter from that film and, in short order, makes him a Congressman. "Evan Almighty" takes him to Washington where he is confronted by God (in the person of Morgan Freeman) – who commands Evan to build an Ark. There are plenty of funny people in Evan Almighty – Carell, Wanda Sykes, John Goodman, and Jonah Hill – but the movie itself isn't that funny – unless, of course, you think bird poop is the highest form of wit. The effects are expensive, the sentiment is cheap – and the plot is a mix of mumble-mouthed religiosity and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. At a slender 90 minutes, Evan Almighty passes by swiftly enough, but plot problems and shoddy scripting make Evan's ark a sinking ship.
Colma: The Musical
(4 out of 4 Reels) Ever wish there were something different at the movies? Well, your prayers have been answered. Set in the sleepy South-of-San Francisco town of Colma (where cemeteries surround a small set of suburbs), Colma: The Musical follows three teens just out of high school through their lives, loves and challenges – in song! Written by H.P. Mendoza (who also plays closeted teen Rodel), Colma: The Musical's made on a shoestring budget, but the wit, energy and vitality of the production fairly leaps out of every frame – from the split-screen opening number to the movie's smart take on musicals themselves. Rude and a little raw, Colma: The Musical is a triumph of pure can-do energy and "Let's put on a show!" spirit that puts bloated modern movie musicals like Rent and Moulin Rouge to shame.
1408
(3 out of 4 Reels)Too many horror films these days confuse disgust with terror, but not 1408. Based on a Steven King short story, it's creepy and spooky – and PG-13. Cynical writer John Cusack has made a living writing sneering "Haunted Hotel" guides -- which brings him to New York's Dolphin Hotel, where room 1408 has seen a score of deaths in the past few decades. The script means that about 85 percent of the movie is just Cusack in the room, freaking out – and yet he's perfect in the part, snide and smarmy until the spooky stuff starts. The current vogue in horror – watching attractive teens get tortured to death (Turistas, Hostel Part II) -- leaves me cold, so 1408's old-fashioned things-that-go-bump-in-the-night vibe worked for me – and, again, it's always a pleasure to watch Cusack on-screen.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
