Popcorn bucket list: Nothing new for grown-ups this weekend

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November 21, 12:17 PM

by Austin O'Connor, Film and TV Examiner

 

It's a light pre-Thanksgiving weekend, especially for adults, who will have to wait for next week for fare aimed in their direction. And off we go...

Three and a half popcorn buckets - Bolt

Who would have thought a Disney animated movie would hardly cause a ripple of buzz? Time was, Disney owned the animated kids flick universe, especially around the crowded holiday season - remember "Beauty and the Beast"? Ah, but that was before sister studio Pixar swooped in years ago and claimed the animation crown with its legendary (and ongoing) string of classics. Disney now plays catch-up to Pixar, Dreamworks, and even (gasp!) Fox. But Bolt is the best Disney animated offering in a while, and it's a definite step in the right direction. The titular pooch is a TV star who has no idea the superpowers he employs in his show aren't real - until he escapes to the outside world and has to find his way back to his owner. The voice cast is headed by John Travolta, Miley Cyrus and Susie Essman, but it's Mark Walton, as the voice of a rolly-polly rodent named Rhino, who steals the movie's best lines. Read my full review here.

Two and a half popcorn buckets - Twilight

A little clarification here as this bucket list rating splits the middle: If you're a teenage girl and/or a fan of the Twilight books, this one's a five popcorn bucketer. For everyone else, it's a zero. The movie adaptation of the romance between a teenage girl and her high school classmate who happens to be a 114-year-old vampire will make fans swoon, but do little for anyone else. The bigger problem, though, is its drab look - it's a low-budget endeavor, and it shows. Director Catherine Hardwicke once made "Thirteen", a much more knowing movie about teenagers, so there were hopes that this one would elevate its source material. It doesn't. Check out my full review here.

Holdovers worth checking out (in order of preference): Slumdog Millionaire, W., Synecdoche, NY (caveat: for film geeks only), Role Models, Zack and Miri Make a Porno

Read my reviews for movies still in release:
Twilight
Quantum of Solace
Slumdog Millionaire
Role Models
Synecdoche, NY
Zack and Miri Make a Porno 

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