By “Cinema” Dave

www.cinemadave.livejournal.com

As much as I was boycotting the NFL last season, the professional football league did much to redeem themselves with Superbowl LII. Perhaps it was pandering to veterans, but having Medal of Honor winners (lead by Cpl. Hershel “Woody” Williams) open the game with the ceremonial coin flip was a step in the right direction. Despite battling the flu, Pink sang a beautiful National Anthem in under two minutes, while Leslie Odom Jr. lead an inspiring chorus of “America the Beautiful.” The actual game was a thriller for people who normally do not enjoy the sport. Beyond the respect given the Christian faith in victory, Miami Dolphins fans enjoyed the fact that Don Shula’s former third-string quarterback Doug Pederson, coached the Philadelphia Eagles’ first Superbowl title.

Football withdrawal weekend is real and, fortunately there are a variety of opportunities for entertainment in South Florida residents with numerous art fairs and festivals. For those more interested in science and nature activities for family fun, the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery & Science (at 401 SW 2 St.) features a Sunday afternoon visit from literary icon, Curious George, the monkey who encourages reading.

In addition, besides screening mainstream movies like Marvel’s Black Panther and A Wrinkle in Time, the IMAX theater there hosts a fine series of documentaries. With an emphasis upon knowledge, visualization and entertainment, Island of Lemurs: Madagascar 3-D is no exception. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the film opens with both a paleontology and historical hypothesis. The meteors that killed dinosaurs on the African section of Pangaea scared the lemurs, who hid in the trees on a land form that separated from the major continent. As island dwellers, the lemurs rebuilt their habitat and lived their life in relative obscurity.

Despite adapting through millions of years of evolution, the lemurs of Madagascar are on the endangered species list in the 21st Century. The growth of tourism and housing development harms these indigenous creatures. Fortunately for the lemurs, they have an advocate for their cause, Professor Patricia C. Wright .

For more information, visit https://mods.org/films/island-lemurs-3d.

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.