Press-Republican

A&E

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
November 25, 2009

'Planet 51' mostly enjoyable

By STEVE OUELLETTE, Movie Review

Amazing things can be done with animated movies these days — just turn on a Pixar film or check out some of the amazing 3-D films being released this year.

That doesn't mean, however, that less ambitious, lower budget, not-completely-thought-out animated films aren't still going to leak into the marketplace.

"Planet 51," for instance.

There's nothing particularly wrong with "Planet 51." It's perfectly acceptable family fare — breezy and mostly enjoyable — but it features second-rate animation and a run-of-the-mill story.

The premise is that an American astronaut has landed on a strange planet and finds that, rather than a harmless chunk of rock, it is inhabited by lovable green aliens who are stuck in their own extraterrestrial version of "Happy Days" and the 1950s.

Dwayne (formerly "The Rock") Johnson is the surprisingly bland voice of astronaut Chuck Baker — sort of a more pompous, less endearing Buzz Lightyear — who finds that the populace has an unnatural media-inspired fear of alien beings, who are thought to be bent on world domination and able to turn average citizens into zombies with nothing more than a steely glare.

The main character, however, is nerdy alien Lem (Justin Long), who just wants to live his life and date his next-door neighbor Neera (Jessica Biehl, who is not half as sexy as an animated alien voice), but finds himself helping the astronaut escape instead.

Think of it as a reverse "E.T." without all the wonder and warm fuzziness. Throw in a little "WALL-E" too: A lovable lunar rover named Rover is sort of a poor man's version, scurrying about in various cute and helpful ways.

The chief bad guys are Gary Oldman as the deadly General Grawl and John Cleese as a mad scientist who acts like he understands human aliens but really has no clue.

The animated beings look to me like rubber bath toys, but that wouldn't matter as much if the script were a little better and the jokes a little funnier.

Written by Joe Stillman, who did much better with "Shrek," "Planet 51" definitely has some laughs but isn't quite sure what it wants to be. It feels like pure kids fare, but a satire of the '50s ("Singing in the Rain"? "Greased Lightning"?) goes right over young heads — and there are at least a couple of unnecessary off-color jokes that might give pause to some parents.

Don't be scared of "Planet 51" but don't go out of your way to get there.

Rental Recommendation: "The X-Files: Fight the Future," the first movie based on the series, was pretty good. The 2008 sequel, not so good. Grade: B

E-mail Steve Ouellette at: ouellette1918@gmail.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Steve Ouellette's Movie Reviews

Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
Entertainment Videos
Dwarfing Around With Ray Winstone VH1's 'Single Ladies' Launches Season 2 RPatz Swaps Cullen for Cronenberg Stars Crowd Red Carpet for AmfAR Knick's Anthony on NY Life, Linsanity, New Role Zefron Gets Eroticised Kristen Stewart 'On the Road' to Cannes Mads Mikkelsen on 'The Hunt' in Cannes Brad Pitt Dispels Wedding Date Rumors at Cannes Gerard Butler: the Good, the Bad and the Cannes ShowBiz Minute: Gibb, Billboard, Smith Robin Gibb of Bee Gees Dies at 62 Raw Video: Will Smith Slaps Journalist Wes Anderson Makes His Cannes Debut Tony Nominee Josh Young on Judas Role in 'JCS' Jaime King's Southern Belle Secrets ShowBiz Minute: Summer, Gaga, Beckham Fans Pay Tribute to Donna Summer Glenn Frey on New Solo Record, Eagles Disco Queen Donna Summer Dies at 63