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``Shrek the Third'' (PG, 1 hr., 33 min.)
Animated features these days often gear their punch lines and double entendres to adults, leaving kids with cheap sight gags and little else to charm them. ``Shrek the Third'' is a 'toon of a different color and a delirious romp on all levels. Another computer-animated sequel to ``Shrek'' (PG 2001) and ``Shrek 2'' (PG, 2004) -- originally inspired by a William Steig children's story -- it is irreverent, rude, raucous, artfully inventive, and even with messages about taking responsibility, making peace and, for women and girls, taking control of your fate. Kids 6 and older chortled nonstop at a preview The Family Filmgoer attended. And it wasn't just slapstick that got them, but the characters' idiosyncratic selves, even as teens and grown-ups laughed at the sendups of Hollywood silliness, all Shrek-ified into medieval fairy tale mode.
So much goes on in ``Shrek the Third,'' The Family Filmgoer may have missed something, but here's a rundown to consider for kids 6 and older: As in the first two films there is much toilet humor, as well as jokes about itchy behinds and hints that certain characters' clothing doesn't quite cover the essentials. A guy in a pub orders an alcoholic drink. There are subtle drug references, such as medieval high-school kids seeming to get high on incense, and very mild sexual innuendo, such as the implication that Puss In Boots (voice of Antonio Banderas) is a licentious kitties' man. Fairy-tale women, their consciousnesses raised, burn a bra. Villainous Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) and his cohorts fly into Far Far Away on broomsticks, raid the palace, imprison the protagonists and threaten Shrek (Mike Myers) with death, but none of it feels intense because Charming is such a buffoon. There are fights and an apparent stabbing, quickly shown to be harmless. There are trees that fly and smack people and a creepy Cyclops. Doris (Larry King), an ugly stepsister, seems transgendered.
Shrek and his bride, the ogre Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), have been filling in for Fiona's ailing dad, King Harold the frog (John Cleese), and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews). When the dying king (eyes rolling, he coughs up a fly, seems to die several times) asks Shrek to take the throne, Shrek balks. He and his pals Donkey (Eddie Murphy, still a riot) and Puss go off to find a high-school kid named Arthur (Justin Timberlake) who is next in line for the crown. While they're gone, Fiona's friends -- Snow White (Amy Poehler), Cinderella (Amy Sedaris), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri) and Rapunzel (Maya Rudolph) -- give her a baby shower. (Shrek's fear of fatherhood is a key theme.) It is then that Prince Charming, who has been acting in bad dinner theater, makes his move to take the throne.
P.S. FOR KIDS 10 AND OLDER ``Singin' in the Rain'' (1952) is a great old movie musical that makes fun of itself, and the world in which it's set, in the same way ``Shrek the Third'' does. But ``Shrek the Third'' shows huge affection for the fairy tales that inspire it, even though it continually makes fun of them and of the sillier aspects of Hollywood. In the same way, ``Singin' in the Rain,'' set in Hollywood in the late 1920s just as silent movies gave way to ``talking pictures,'' makes jokes about films and film stars, though its creators clearly love both. It is truly worth checking out -- a classic for a reason.
BEYOND THE RATINGS GAME
-- FINE FOR KIDS 6 AND OLDER:
``Shrek the Third'' PG (NEW) (Sequel to PG-rated computer-animated hits ``Shrek'' (2001) and ``Shrek 2'' (2004) is a deliriously fun medieval fairy-tale romp and thinly disguised spoof of Hollywood -- irreverent, inventive, with subtle messages about taking responsibility, making peace, taking control of your life; chosen by his dying father-in-law, King Harold the frog (voice of John Cleese), to rule Far Far Away, and terrified at the prospect of being a new dad, Shrek (Mike Myers) goes with Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) to recruit the callow teen (Justin Timberlake) who's next in line for the throne; while they're gone, evil Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) plots with other storybook villains to usurp the throne; they hold Shrek's wife and fellow ogre, Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz), her pals Snow White (Amy Poehler), Sleeping Beauty (Cheri Oteri), Cinderella (Amy Sedaris) and Queen Lillian (Julie Andrews) prisoner; Charming's buffoonishness makes all his threats seem silly non-scary. Much toilet humor, jokes about itchy behinds, hints that certain characters' clothing doesn't cover their essentials; reference to alcohol; hint that medieval high-schoolers are high on incense; mild sexual innuendo; hint that Puss In Boots is a licentious tomcat; Charming's minions do a flying broomstick raid into Far Far Away -- rarely scarily -- vow to kill Shrek (Mike Myers); fights; a stabbing, quickly shown to be harmless; trees that fly and smack people; a creepy Cyclops; Doris (Larry King), an ugly stepsister, seems transgendered.)
-- PG-13s OF VARYING INTENSITY:
``Waitress'' (NEW; LIMITED RELEASE) (Utterly winning romantic comedy, written and directed by late actress Adrienne Shelly, hovers near too-cute, but rarely steps over the line; Keri Russell glows as Jenna, a ``genius'' pie maker at a Southern diner, her life a misery due to a jealous, stupid, sometimes violent husband (Jeremy Sisto); news she's pregnant makes her feel doubly trapped -- which she expresses in plaintive letters to her unborn child and in naming pies for her woes -- the I Hate My Husband Pie; she and her adorably smitten, but married gynecologist (Nathan Fillion) share a passionate attraction that galvanizes and confuses her; Cheryl Hines and Shelly as waitress pals; Andy Griffith as the cranky diner owner. One graphic sexual situation; other steamy, nonexplicit sexual ones; spousal abuse theme; adultery theme. Not for middle-schoolers.)
``Delta Farce'' (NEW) (Low-rent comedy consists mainly of mild but insidious ethnic and homophobic stereotypes and slurs; redneck comics Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, with spindly character actor DJ Qualls, star as three doofuses who use their weekends in the National Guard to goof off; a tough sergeant (Keith David) trains them for a tour in Iraq, but a transport plane accidentally dumps them in the Mexican desert, which they mistake for Iraq long after hearing Spanish spoken; they become local heroes, helping villagers expel a gang. Weaponsfire; fighting; profanity; crude language; sexual innuendo; toilet humor; drinking. Not for middle-schoolers.)
``The Ex'' (Zach Braff as immature hubby Tom, who gets fired just as his wife (Amanda Peet), a lawyer, quits her job to be a new mom; they retreat to her Ohio hometown, where her dad (Charles Grodin) gets Tom a job at the ad agency where he works; Tom hates it and must work with Chip (Jason Bateman), a high-school beau of his wife's who is out to destroy him; he can't retaliate because Chip uses a wheelchair; clever spoof of office politics, new-mommy culture. Pushes the boundaries of taste in portrayal of paraplegic character as a target of comic mayhem (thrown down a flight of stairs) and sexually tinged jokes (he dishes it out, too); lewd sexual innuendo, slang references to sex organs; profanity; ethnic slurs; implied locker room nudity; start of a sexual situation. Not for middle-schoolers.)
``Lucky You'' (Tedious tale of a Las Vegas poker player (Eric Bana) aiming to win the world series of poker and triumph in a lifelong rivalry with his poker-champ dad (Robert Duvall); romance with a novice singer (a miscast Drew Barrymore) falters when her high moral standards don't jibe with his; Bana is too brooding, heavy-hearted in the role, adding to the film's slowness, despite edgy moments with Duvall and interesting poker scenes. Profanity; sexual innuendo; implied overnight tryst; drinking, smoking; pervasive gambling theme. More for high-schoolers.)
``Year of the Dog'' (LIMITED RELEASE) (Darkly comic, offbeat, poignant tale of a lonely woman (Molly Shannon) who spirals into a depression after the accidental death of her beloved beagle; she falls for an animal rights activist (Peter Sarsgaard) and becomes obsessed with his cause; Laura Dern shines as her sister-in-law, a wildly overprotective mom. Muted depiction of a dying dog; a big dog that bites; references to a hunting accident; she takes young niece and nephew to a chicken processing plant to see the slaughter, but relents when they cry at the prospect; tranquilizers; sexual innuendo; rare profanity; drinking. For older high-schoolers or college kids.)
``Spider-Man 3'' (Overlong third film turns eloquent soul-searching of ``Spider-Man 2'' (PG-13, 2004) into lugubrious, pseudo-spiritual piffle; busy Peter Parker/ Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) is headed for a fall; he fails to notice his beloved Mary Jane (Kirsten Dunst) has problems in her acting career; and he must face down: his estranged pal Harry (James Franco) as the blade-slinging New Goblin; the shape-shifting monster Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) who, in human form, is the escaped convict who killed Peter's Uncle Ben's (Cliff Robertson); the lizard-toothed Venom (Topher Grace), in human form a cocky schemer who wants Peter's photo gig at the Daily Bugle; and the slithery alien whatsits that turn Peter bad. Nongraphic violence includes high-flying, glass-shattering, blade-hurling battles; one character impaled, another shot; innocent victims dangled above street; sad flashbacks of Uncle Ben's murder; Sandman turns into a cloud billowing down a street, echoing 9/11; mild sexual innuendo; drinking; smoking. Too slow, somber for some younger teens; even high-schoolers may squirm, snicker at times.)
``The Invisible'' (Parable of teenage anti-social behavior, forgiveness, redemption, with a supernatural spin, is surprisingly effective despite a sanitized script, teen-flick cliches, thanks to good acting. Nick (Justin Chatwin), a rich, fatherless high-schooler, gets on the wrong side of his school's criminal girl, Annie (Margarita Levieva); she and her pals beat him up and leave him for dead; he emerges as a spirit, his undiscovered body still hovering between life and death; unseen and unheard, he tries to move her to tell the cops. Nick dreams of suicide while alive, tries it as a ``ghost,'' fantasizes pushing Annie off a roof; nongraphic knifings, gunplay; subtly implied overnight tryst; steamy make-out scene; mild profanity. A bit grim for middle-schoolers.)
``Next'' (Improbable, yet quite gripping thriller stars Nicolas Cage as a sad-sack Las Vegas magician who can actually see minutes into the future and even farther when in the presence of a woman (Jessica Biel) he envisions he'll meet; a brusque FBI agent (Julianne Moore) wants him to help find terrorists who have a nuclear device -- fate and duty call; cool plot device shows him imagining alternate outcomes at crisis points. Hostage strapped to a wheelchair and blown up in upsetting scene, shown from a distance; point-blank shootings, a throat-slitting -- both non-gory; fights; intense downhill chase; couple kiss, then are seen later, cuddling in bed; midrange profanity; drinking; smoking. Terrorist theme too intense for middle schoolers.)
``Disturbia'' (Exploitative, cynical mix of dark, violent R-ish themes with PG-13 teen romance; Shia LaBeouf as a troubled kid grieving for his father (who dies in a car accident in an upsetting prologue); he socks a teacher and gets house arrest, complete with electronic ankle bracelet; bored, he starts spying on neighbors with his pal (Aaron Yoo) and the new girl next door (Sarah Roemer); they suspect a man (David Morse) of serial murder. Female victims shown wrapped in plastic; hints of the crimes -- screams, blood; understated sexual innuendo, implied teen longing; steamy kisses; shots of girls in bikinis, a young woman undressing (her back to the lens) -- no nudity, but from voyeuristic teen point of view; little boys watch a lewd video showing topless women covered in whipped cream; infidelity theme; profanity; drug reference. Not for middle-schoolers.)
-- R's:
``28 Weeks Later'' (NEW) (Bloody but highly intelligent, evocative, character-rich British horror flick, a sequel to ``28 Days Later ... '' (R, 2002), about aftermath of a viral pandemic that transforms victims into mad, bloodthirsty creatures who prey on other humans, tearing them apart; many obvious but stinging metaphors for war, genocide; a U.S.-led force has occupied Britain, creating a safe ``Green Zone'' for uninfected survivors; a man (Robert Carlyle) abandons his wife (Catherine McCormack) when they're attacked by the hordes, then, in the safe zone, lies to his kids (Imogen Poots, Mackintosh Muggleton) about it; a new outbreak sparks slaughter of innocents, but a medical officer (Rose Byrne) and an AWOL sniper (Jeremy Renner) help the kids. Bloody attacks, mayhem; kids in mortal danger; fire bombing; chemical weapons; strong profanity, sexual language; implied nudity. Too doomsday for under-17s.)
``Georgia Rule'' (Lindsay Lohan in uneven but often crackling comedy-drama about Rachel (Lohan), a snarky, sex-obsessed older teen in skimpy clothes and chunky bracelets, sent to spend a pre-college summer with her grandmother, Georgia (Jane Fonda), in Idaho, whose rules she ignores; when Rachel needs our sympathy later, it's tough to grant because she's been so annoying; scenes between Georgia and Rachel's alcoholic mom (Felicity Huffman) are terrific; film has other gems, but Lohan's flouncy angst dims them. A mild R for today, but with extensive verbal discussion of childhood sexual molestation as a central theme; alcoholism; references to teen drug use, promiscuity, lying; beginnings of implied sexual situations; strong profanity; crude sexual language; some may object to a comically pious portrayal of Mormons. Older high-schoolers.)
``Fracture'' (Thriller starts out glitzy and superficial, but becomes an intriguing morality tale; Anthony Hopkins steals the show as a cold aeronautics exec (yet more human, less clever than his Hannibal Lecter) who shoots his unfaithful wife (Embeth Davidtz); Ryan Gosling as a hotshot prosecutor sees evidence melting away and must decide whether to pursue justice or decamp to a fancy law firm. Understated compared to many R films: stylized gun violence, not ultra-graphic but with much blood; stylized, nongraphic sex scene; middling profanity; semi-crude sexual language; milder sexual innuendo; toilet humor; drinking. OK for high-schoolers.)
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