One new movie and a couple of older ones that I caught up on... Katy Perry: Part Of Me 3D [2012] *** Stars Katy Perry Directed by Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz There are certain artists that I would pay attention too, and perhaps acknowledge even if I don't particularly care for their music. I might lean towards Avril Lavinge over Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera, and perhaps more towards Christina than Britney. I don't particularly care for Lady Gaga and while I also don't particularly care for Justin Bieber, I would acknowledge the talen t he has, and it would be interesting to see how he progresses as an artist as he matures. Katy Perry falls into the same category as Beiber (who appears briefly) where I'm concerned. She wasn't just some overnight sensation. She has talent and she's been working hard at it for years, even if it may seem like she just became known a couple of years back. This concert film does look at her past as well as focus on the massive world tour she had undertaken in 2011. And it is a very intimate look simply because of how her personal life took a turn for the worse midway through the tour (in Brazil), and the emotional resonance of it hits during her performance itself. The drama flits between the performances of the concert as Perry belts through her songs with verve and excitement. The 3D effect is extremely effective here, giving the sense of scale for the concert itself, which makes it all the more impressive and enjoyable. Perry's songs are, at its core, very much bubblegum pop but with quite insightful lyrics. Nothing particularly astounding, but it's spectacular nonetheless (one performance has her going through six costume changes during the song) with the infectious Perry's bubbly persona infecting everything, even when she's at her lowest. And that's the quality of who she is at heart. The Three Stooges [2012] **1/2 Stars Sean Hayes, Will Sasso, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jane Lynch, Sofia Vergara, Jennifer Hudson, Craig Bierko and Larry David Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly When this project was first announced, it was hard to know what would be the outcome, and I wouldn't have expected this. This is - simply put - a Three Stooges movie, except with actors playing the Stooges instead of the original actors. In fact, it's made as it it's part of the Stooges repertoire. To that end, the three main stars (Sean Hayes as Larry, Will Sasso as Curly and Chris Diamoantopoulos as Moe) do physically embody their roles. If you're not too fussy, they could easily be mistaken for the original stars in this new setting. The gags and physical comedy are there, pretty much as you might remember them if you had seen the original shorts with the original Stooges. The movie has a singular plot - the Stooges are trying to save the orphanage they grew up in ( and that reeks of The Blues Brothers), while getting caught up in a murder plot - but broken into three 'chapters', each with a title card, as if these are three episodes sewn together. While it may look like a modern setting, it does feel fairly old-fashioned until the last act when the modern world comes screaming in courtesy of the cast from "Jersey Shore". And this is where the movie flouders. Still, there are laughs to be had, particularly if you're a juvenile while the nuns of the orphanage are fun (Jane Lynch as the Mother Superior, Jennifer Hudson's nun occasionally breaks into song, and there's strict and grumpy Sister Mary-Mengele played with grumpy aplomb by one Larry David). It just feels like there were missed opportunities or perhaps the Three Stooges aren't quite as effective within the expanded realm of a feature film. The Cold Light of Day [2012] *1/2 Stars Henry Cavill, Veronica Echegul, Josephe Mawie with Caroline Goodall, Sigourney Weaver and Bruce Willis. Directed by Mabrouk El Mechri At it's core, this is a Hitchcockian thriller, but without the touch of the master. Henry Cavill plays Will Shaw, who is visiting his family in Spain. When his family is attacked and kidnapped, Will, being the stranger in a storage land, has to chase down a mysterious briefcase supposedly stolen by his father. Other factions are involved including the CIA, represented by Sigourney Weaver. Both Bruce Willis (who plays Will's father) and Weaver appear practically listless and the movie rests entirely on Cavill, who also appears fairly uninspired (and that doesn't bode well for the upcoming Man of Steel movie). Uninspired is pretty much how the movie is as a whole. Coincidences flounder about, the plot meanders, character motives are telegraphed and the direction itself feels stifled. Even with its Hitchcockian aspirations, the movie stumbles at every step, try as they may. Can anyone explain what the title is supposed to mean? I must have missed something somewhere about that. Unless you're absolutely bored, this is something to pass on.
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