By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

With slightly less momentum than the original flick, The Expendables 2 opened strong with a nearly $29 million opening weekend – more than double ParaNorman (which is an underrated motion picture for families). While all the leading men have seen better days, there is no denying the fun that percolates through the silver screen.

Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his team of mercenaries called the Expendables (Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Randy Couture) are recruited by Church (Bruce Willis) for a mission. When one of the Expendables is killed by master terrorist villain (Jean-Claude Van Damme), the Expendables plan payback.

Eventually, Chuck Norris and Arnold Schwarzenegger join the Expendables to root out the villainous villain. As the action commences, Director Simon West is wise enough to frame Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Willis and Norris in a single shot.

The action is loud, graphic and over-the-top; yet, it fulfills its entertaining purpose. Think of The Expendables 2 as a modern-day Gene Autry/Roy Rogers Saturday matinee cowboy flick, minus the singing around the campfire.

Lacking the automatic assault rifles of the modern era, Free Men is a World War II drama with quiet action. A French film with English subtitles, Free Men is based on real life incidents involving Muslims and Jews.

Younes is a young Muslim black-marketeer who becomes an informer for Nazi police. As Jewish immigrants are rounded up, Younes sees his income diminishing. When he consults with the head of his Mosque, Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit (Michael Lonsdale), Younes learns that his mentor is harboring political criminals, Jewish refugees.

In direct contrast to The Expendables 2, Free Men is a simple film with complex character motives. It is a good movie that will be remembered for Lonsdale’s dignified performance as a humanitarian hero, which is ironic since he is best known for his role as a James Bond villain in Moonraker.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

It was 13 years ago this month that The Sixth Sense was released, becoming the biggest grossing horror movie of all time. While the following summers presented some fine ghost stories on the big screen (What Lies Beneath, The Others), no horror film has come close to The Sixth Sense’s nearly $300 million box office gross.

Released recently on DVD, The Haunting of Whaley House brings some fun back into the ghost story genre. Penny Abbott (Stephanie Greco) is a tour guide for the Whaley House in San Diego. Under the tutelage of Bethany Romero (Lynn Lowry), Penny is warned not to do three things that could disturb the spirits of Whaley House. Because of peer pressure, Penny relents and ends up doing the three things she was warned about.

Penny allows her amateur ghost-busting friends into the house under the cover of night. The Whaley ghosts are not amused and plot their passiveaggressive retribution.

It should be noted that this film is an Asylum production. Besides providing the Syfy Channel B-movie fare like Shark Week documentaries and Bigfoot (starring members The Partridge Family and The Brady Bunch, Danny Bonaduce and Barry Williams, respectfully), The Asylum produced fare with titles like Bikini Spring Break and Mega Python vs. Gatoroid.

The beauty of this film is that it acknowledges the B-movie expectations of cheesy special effects deaths, morbid humor and one scene of gratuitous nudity. Writer/Director Jose Prendes’ dialogue is snappy with humor.

Genre veteran Lowry (Cat People, The Crazies) bookends the tale, providing both menace and sincerity. As the central character Penny, Greco confidently leads an ensemble of character actors.

Halloween season begins early this year and The Haunting of Whaley House delivers the first chill of autumn.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

This month marks the 13th year since I wrote my first review. To put these 13 years in perspective, if a parent read my review to their child, the child would be starting Kindergarten in 1999. That same child would now be packing for their freshman year for college.

My first review was a positive one, for the Steve Martin- Eddie Murphy comedy, “Bowfinger,” which still holds up as an entertaining yarn. During the summer of 1999, the competition for box office dollars included two Julia Roberts comedies (“Notting Hill,” “Runaway Bride”), “Star Wars Episode I The Phantom Menace” and the second “Austin Powers” movie. Feeling nostalgic?

While 2012 has presented some good blockbusters (“The Dark Knight Rises,” Marvel’s “The Avengers,” “Prometheus”), this summer has represented much disappointment. High priced celebrities like Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and Alec Baldwin failed to attract ticket buyers. Besides “Rock of Ages,” Baldwin presides over another box office disappointment, Woody Allen’s “To Rome with Love.”

Last year’s “Midnight in Paris” was the first Woody Allen movie to make me forget about his scandal involving Mia Farrow from 20 years ago. So it was with high expectations that I viewed Allen’s new film “To Rome With Love.”

Alas, this newest film is a dull retread about Woody Allen’s usual neurosis and existential theories. The only saving grace to this motion picture is the postcard cinematography celebrating Italy’s Eternal City.

“To Rome with Love” takes its cues from Italian farce. We are introduced to a young couple in love, their future inlaws and outside characters who are more interesting than the leads. The set-up to the punchlines is forced and so are the payoffs.

The 2012 Olympics wraps up Sunday and, hopefully, will release some more interesting movies before football season begins.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Madoff and Scott Rothstein … three mega millionaires whose fall from power became a public spectacle. As history often reminds us, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

Two films, Farewell My Queen and Queen of Versailles, open tomorrow that explore that famous George Santa-yana’s historical quotation, but with a humane perspective.

Farewell My Queen is taken from the perspective of Sidonie Laborde (Léa Seydoux), the Lady-in- Waiting to Queen Marie Antoinette (Diane Kruger). The Queen and the maiden share a love of reading saucy books from the royal library. With an emphasis upon fantasy, these two overlook neighborhood poverty and that dead rats are floating up the river. After the storming of the Bastille, the Queen’s decadent reign starts to crumble.

A French movie with English subtitles, Farewell My Queen has a touch of Upstairs/Downstairs and Downtown Abbey. For history junkies, this film presents Castle Versailles with glorious cinematography. As the queen who suffers from attention deficit disorder, Diane Kruger provides a grand performance, mixing public generosity with acute selfishness. Farewell My Queen is a beautiful downer.

The Queen of Versailles is closer to home, Orlando actually. The film opens with construction of 90,000 sq. ft. home, modeled after Castle Versailles. Westgate timeshare mogul David Siegel is building this palace for his trophy wife Jackie because he can afford to do so.

However, when the stock market collapses in 2008, Siegel can no longer do the things he wants to do. As David struggles to keep his empire afloat, Jackie is clueless about her financial peril.

As the modern Queen of Versailles, Jackie is presented as a loving mother with one adoptive child, many dogs and exotic pets. As David becomes more stressed over his financial woes, Jackie cannot grasp the concept of potential poverty.

Unlike the devious qualities of Helmsley, Madoff and Rothstein, the most scary aspect about The Queen of Versailles is how one can relate to the Siegels; they can be a family member or a neighbor. As Farewell My Queen and The Queen of Versailles remind us, pride before a fall is a human characteristic.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

There was no denying the edgy anticipation for the first showing of The Dark Knight Rises at the Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater last Friday afternoon.

After the horrendous news from Aurora, Colorado, management and ushers were serious- but-happy to see everyone show up for their sold-out screening. They acknowledged the police officers and they also mentioned that there were undercover police officers in the audience. Audience safety was paramount.

Marketing & Communications Director Marlene Janetos then asked for a moment of silence before the film began. When the film began, the “eleephant was out of the auditorium” and the audience felt safe to enjoy the most anticipated film of the year, guilt-free.

Like Marvel’s The Avengers, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises managed to live up to unrealistic expectations. With new characters like Bane (Tom Hardy) and Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) added to the mix, this Dark Knight film stands on its own. But a review of Batman Begins, which broadens character motivations, will provide extra pleasure.

There is a human element that director Christopher Nolan has captured in this comic book mythology. It is also worth noting that in the end credits, actor Christian Bale is listed as Bruce Wayne, not Batman. Unlike the campy Adam West Batman from 46 years ago, this Bruce Wayne is closer to John Wayne realism.

A man seasoned by violence since childhood, Bruce Wayne is weary from his previous battles. Peace has come to Gotham City, but at the cost of the souls of Bruce Wayne and Police Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), who thought it was better to glorify a false legend than to face the truth.

Reality kicks back when master terrorist Bane arrives. A mastermind and first class monster, Bane organizes his army of criminals and unleashes inferno upon the citizens of Gotham. Unlike the mentally unbalanced adversaries of the previous movies, Bruce Wayne faces his most dangerous and disciplined challenge yet.

The themes about politics, violence and criminology are deep with well-balanced arguments. However, this is not a doctorate dissertation; this film is a human story behind the masks. Clocking in at 2¾ hours, The Dark Knight Rises is pure cinematic popcorn-eating escapism, best seen on the big screen.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

With science fiction becoming a big thread in popular culture, San Diego’s Comic-Con, held July 12-15, is as much a summer pastime as baseball, hot dogs and pecan pie. While predicting next summer’s blockbuster hits, (Iron Man 3, Pacific Rim), Comic-Con acknowledges the universe of Star Trek and Star Wars, Marvel Comics with ancient myths and legends. Last year, Snow White was the woman in the Spotlight.

A German oral tradition that was put to paper by Brothers Grimm, the retelling of Snow White usually involves these elements – seven dwarfs, a forbidden forest, a talkative mirror and an evil queen who wants to harm an innocent adolescent girl.

While the most iconic film has been Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, this young lady has worked steadily for 65 years and met The Three Stooges. This year, two Snow White flicks have been released, but the evil queen stole both shows.

Julia Roberts looked into Mirror Mirror in her guise as the evil queen. Directed by Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall), this rendition contains spellbinding visual composition and a vivid color palette. The emphasis is on humor and Roberts exudes broad comedic villainy. Mirror Mirror is over-the- top, but fun.

Snow White and the Huntsman features Charlize Theron as the evil queen. Seduced by her own beauty, this evil queen is more warrior than Robert’s evil queen. Therefore, she is more of a match for Snow White, portrayed by Kristen Stewart.

Given Stewart’s resume, Snow White and the Huntsman feels like an episode of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series. This time, Snow White is aided and abetted by Thor, oops, I mean actor Chris Hemsworth, as the Huntsman.

More grounded in “reality” than Mirror Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman will satisfy the medieval crowd until The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is released in December.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Ten years ago, Sam Raimi wrote and directed Spider- Man, with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst, which became the No. 1 Box Office Champion for 2002.

Five years ago, the same team produced Spider-Man 3, which disappointed many.

So there was little enthusiasm when Columbia Pictures announced The Amazing Spider- Man, a reboot of the comic book myth.

While we could have avoided another origin story involving the shooting of Uncle Ben (this time, Martin Sheen), The Amazing Spider- Man does work as a comic book recreation with a vivid color palette. Director Marc Webb’s palette is film noir, much influenced by the Dark Knight Returns and Sin City short story collections.

In the pre-credit sequence, we learn a little why a young Peter Parker came under the care of Uncle Ben and Aunt May (Sally Field). In High School, Peter (Andrew Garfield) falls under the spell of Gwen Stacy (Emma “The Help” Stone), the daughter of tough Police Commissioner Stacy (Denis Leary).

Gwen works for Dr. Connors (Rhys Ifans), an amputee with a connection to the disappearance of Peter Parker’s parents. As Peter investigates this link, he is bitten by a spider and undergoes a transformation. In his zeal to re-grow his amputated arm, Dr. Connors injects himself with an untested serum and terrorizes Manhattan as the notorious Lizard.

While most of the action scenes occur at night, Director Webb manages to create vivid battles between Spider- Man and the Lizard. It is special effects whiz bang, but manages to capture the smart aleck wit of Stan Lee’s original creation. (Lee’s cameo brought forth a round of applause at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater).

With last weekend’s record-breaking box office gross, Columbia Pictures has announced that The Amazing Spider-Man is the first of a planned trilogy that should conclude during the 2016 Presidential election season.

The Amazing Spider-Man is a complete story within itself, a visual treat and very entertaining. The opening narrative grabs you from the very beginning. What more can you ask from a big budget summer blockbuster?

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

Aung San Suu Kyi with Jim McNalis

It was announced this week that Marvel’s The Avengers has become the 3rd highest grossing motion picture of all time, behind Avatar and Titanic. With The Amazing Spider-Man opening this holiday weekend at the Museum of Discovery IMAX Theater, costumed superheroes have consumed the international box office.

Speaking of heroism, The Lady will make its South Florida premier this weekend at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival’s Cinema Paradiso. This long-awaited biography acknowledges the heroism of Aung San Suu Kyi, the 1991 Noble Peace Prize winner who had been under house arrest for two decades in Myanmar, formerly known as the country of Burma.

Best known for portraying karate sidekicks to Jackie Chan, Jet Li and James Bond, Michelle Yeoh will portray The Lady. With Rebecca Frayn’s screenplay in hand, Yeoh presented the project to Luc Besson, a French director best known for action flicks like The Fifth Element, The Professional and La Femme Nikita.

Besson said, “One day Michelle came to see me for help. She told me she had a compelling screenplay about Aung San Suu Kyi and was looking for a producer, and that it would be great if I were free to direct it. At first, I told her I wasn’t available. But then I read the script and I was blown away!”

Despite the gulf between eastern and western cultures, Besson revealed his need to tell the story about The Lady.

He said, “I was very moved by the story of this woman about whom I realized I knew almost nothing, except for the tip of the iceberg I’d read in the papers.” While The Lady was in production, government relaxed restrictions upon Suu Kyi. She is currently on an international tour in Europe and was honored by former President George Bush last May in Washington D.C.

The first screening of The Lady will be Friday evening at 6 p.m.  It will be followed by a Q&A by artist and activist Jim McNalis, who created a sculpture of the Nobel Prize winner and was able to meet her. He will be discussing that meeting last December. (Next, McNalis will be leaving on a lecture tour in North Carolina). For more information, call 954-525-FILM or visit www.fliff.com.

Michelle Yeoh plays “The Lady”

Jim McNalis created a sculpture of Aung San Suu Kyi

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

As the locally-produced Rock of Ages floats into Summertime box office oblivion, it seems as if you have to be a team of superheroes (Marvel’s The Avengers) or animated characters (Madagascar 3, Brave) to have any box office traction this summer.

Released three weeks ago, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted finds our heroes, Alex the lion (Ben Stiller), Marty the zebra (Chris Rock), Melman the giraffe (David Schwimmer) and Gloria the hippo (Jada Pinkett Smith) enjoying the easy life living in Africa.

Yet, the four friends miss their zoo in Manhattan. Consulting with the penguins, the four heroes revamp their makeshift aeroplane and decide to cross the Atlantic.

Of course, things go wrong and the four friends crash land in a Monte Carlo Casino. The intrepid Captain Chantel Du Bois (Frances McDormand) gives chase … and chase … and chase … until the film’s conclusion.

The visuals are fantastic and Chris Rock’s one-liners are being quoted on the street. Children will be engaged for the hour and a half, but adults will be checking their watches.

Brave is Disney/Pixar’s 13th release. Given this partnership’s box office returns and Oscars on the shelf, one feels a sense of diminishing returns with Brave.

Set in mythical Scotland, Princess Merida (Kelly MacDonald) is an un-ladylike tomboy, much to the displeasure of the queen (Emma Thompson). Seeking to enhance the bonds between the three regimes, t h e k i n g ( B i l l y C o n n o l y ) o f f e r s h i s daughter’s hand in marriage. The clichés kick in and with a spoonful of supernatural occurrences, it makes for an entertaining afternoon for mothers and daughters.

By Dave Montalbano

AdventuresOfCinemaDave.com

When Rock of Ages began production in South Florida, I was happy that this film was boosting the local film industry. At the Buck’s 30-year reunion last summer, Don Abbatiello showed me pictures of his stunt work in the film. With this kind of perspective, it is hard to dislike Rock of Ages, much like it is hard to hate locally-filmed movies like Hoot, Caddyshack and Body Heat.

Rock of Ages is no Marvel’s The Avengers or Prometheus, but is a two-hour revival of 1980s MTV, complete with sizzling guitars and big hair Stealing some plot lines from Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals, Rock of Ages introduces us to a pretty blonde from Oklahoma, played by Julianne Hough.

She skips into Los Angeles and meets a young man her age played by Diego Boneta, a singer who works for the proprieters of The Bourbon Room (played by Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand). The Bourbon Room will host the final performance of Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise), a rock god who has seen better days.

Clichés pile up when socalled political conservatives (Bryan Cranston, Catherine Zeta-Jones) want to censor the heavy metal rock star and close down The Bourbon Room. The only cliché missing would be a Mickey Rooney cameo during the sappy climax.

The Dictator is a rude, crude and socially unacceptable contrast to Rock of Ages. This is another politically incorrect comedy from Sacha Baron Cohen.

Unlike his serio-documentary comedies, The Dictator hires actors like Sayed Badreya, Ben Kingsley and Anna Faris, who hopefully know that they are playing fictitious characters. There are genuine belly laughs from the exhibitionist Cohen, but the laughs are more shocking than humorous.

Given the low budget of The Dictator, the film has earned back its production budget; it is doing better overseas than in America. Yet, one wonders if Cohen’s comedies have reached the point of diminishing returns, like Adam Sandler. Ten years ago, Adam Sandler was a box office god; his recent film, That’s My Boy, was a Father’s Day box office disaster last weekend.