Snake tails, pirate sails & racing rails

  • Andrea Miller<br>Enterprise features editor
  • Monday, March 3, 2008 11:37am

Andrea: This week we were looking forward to reviewing the long-anticipated Snakes on a Plane, but alas, this film has been hyped so much over the last year that the studio did not see the need to have the press preview it.

Steve: I’m glad they had the sense to go with the camp aspect of the premise. Snakes. On a plane. How could anyone take that seriously?

Andrea: I’m pretty sure Homeland Security would. But as long as you pack them in your checked baggage and not your carry-ons, there shouldn’t be a problem.

Steve: In any case, you can be sure we’ll be lining up to buy tickets opening day.

Andrea: As the summer movie season winds down, we thought we’d look back at our favorite films of summer 2006. There’s still a little time left to catch them in theaters, before the fall movie season sweeps them out to be repackaged for the holiday DVD market.

Steve: Some things just need to be seen on a big screen.

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest (PG-13)

Steve: I was a bit disappointed to see Keira Knightley in men’s clothes for much of the movie, but Disney keeps redeeming itself with this franchise. Isn’t the squidly Davy Jones your favorite Disney villain now?

Andrea: The special effects were fantastic. I didn’t think they could outdo themselves after Curse of the Black Pearl. It ran a bit long, but like most second films in a trilogy, it was obviously a bridge between the first and third. And as for critics who complained there was “too much action,” the film is based on a thrill ride at Disneyland for crying out loud. Maybe the more accurate term would be “too busy” — having to tie up loose ends from the first film while setting the stage for the conclusion. Cars (G)

Steve: Pixar’s recurring theme of making fantastic films out of innocous subjects just amazes me. I didn’t find the commercials for Finding Nemo that impressive, but what a beautiful movie that turned out to be. Cars plays the same way, a great story with perhaps their most inspired voice-talent casting to date.

Andrea: Cars and rock ‘n’ roll, a perfect summer movie — and how refreshing, something the whole family can see together without being painfully bored. Clerks 2 (R)

Steve: For fans of Kevin Smith’s style of ultra-raunchy, politically incorrect humor, this might be the holy grail of his long-running, semi-sweet series about misfits and goofballs. I know you’ve memorized all of Jay and Silent Bob’s mini-skits.

Andrea: Dude! — “Hey, there’s only one Return, and it’s not of the King, it’s of the Jedi.”Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (PG-13)

Steve: An absolutely hilarious script and a great ensemble cast are what really drives this movie. Will Ferrell’s comic genius is just an added bonus. Too bad Wonder Bread isn’t sold around here any more — seeing him go around the track in that cool sponsor’s car made me want a peanut butter sandwich.

Andrea: I’m more of a Formula 1 girl, but I laughed as hard as you did. World Trade Center (PG-13)

Steve: Even with its uplifting ending, WTC is not the feel-good movie of the season, but needs to be seen — especially by those of us who woke up across the country from NYC the morning of 9/11.

Andrea: It was very difficult not to be overwhelmed by personal emotion/memory while watching. I think people will be surprised by how respectfully director Oliver Stone handles the subject, and how well he represents what a lot of people were thinking and praying about at the time.Miami Vice (R)

Steve: If you loved any of Michael Mann’s work — Heat, Collateral, Crime Story, the original Vice, etc. — you should see this movie. Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell are unusually subdued, but nonetheless super-baaad.

Andrea: But we should point out that this is hardly a remake of the TV show — the new Miami Vice is more about grit and shadows than Phil Collins and pastel suits.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.