Good day, democratic imbeciles. You first knew him as a Kazakh news reporter, then as an Austrian fashionista. Now, dedicated character comedian Sacha Baron Cohen plays a North African fascist in “The Dictator”. The journey of Admiral General Aladeen is unlike his predecessors in that it’s not done in a mockumentary style. So, how does this change the actor’s shtick?

The use of a traditional story (and those words aren’t being used lightly — it’s cookie-cutter) attempts to mainstream Cohen’s brand of humor, whether that was a conscious choice or not. The pop-culture references are a bit more frequent, the potty humor dialed up and the shock gags not as inspired as say, two grown men wrestling naked and chasing each other through a hotel. All the same, Cohen’s trademarks are still there, from ignorance-based jokes to thoughtful satire.

The writing team that assisted Cohen with the screenplay consists of three “Curb Your Enthusiasm” writers, one of which is Jeff Schaffer, who wrote “Bruno.” These folks are all familiar with a looser narrative style, in which the story builds around the jokes. Even director Larry Charles (producer on “Curb”), who did “Bruno” and “Borat,” has essentially no typical storytelling experience. As with any film with a plot simply meant to string together a necklace of gags, the individual jokes are forced to carry the film and the results are hit and miss.

Aladeen is a great deal more unpredictable than Cohen’s previous characters. You never know if you’re going to get the poor idiot routine a la “Borat” or the strong-willed dictator used to getting his way. It keeps you on your toes, but feels less complete and ultimately less lovable. It also doesn’t help that the plot has him trying to thwart his brother’s (Ben Kingsley) plan to turn Wadiya into a democracy. That said, Cohen most definitely wants make you feel uncomfortable rooting for a character who yearns to oppress his people once again.

Capped off by a simple yet brilliant speech about all the things America could do if it were a dictatorship, Cohen’s commentary hits some strong notes during the film, even if it doesn’t compare to the eye-opening methods of his first two, especially “Borat.” For the most part, however, the script focuses on making sure no minority loses out on some form of a jab.

Yet for all the genuinely creative jokes, like a misinterpreted helicopter ride over New York City, “The Dictator” relies a bit too much on sight gags, like a man yanked out of a bathroom mid-urination or the milking of a woman’s breasts. It’s just stupider than “Borat” and “Bruno”, and with that track record in mind, you’re just kind of stunned when an obvious attempt to get laughs draws silence. Fortunately the hits outweigh the misses, but when your story isn’t all that interesting, the misses start to stand out.

Given the array of recognizable cast members, “The Dictator” is also much more of an ensemble effort, but it is definitely Cohen’s show. The casting of Kingsley proves wasteful unless it was to make the point that Kingsley can play any race or religion, but his collaboration with Cohen on “Hugo” is the likely explanation. Anna Faris tries to add some heart as a semi-butch super-organic shop owner, but she’s drastically underutilized for someone as funny as she has proven to be. The biggest supporting highlights come courtesy Jason Mantzoukas (Rafi on FX’s The League), who plays the perfect foil to Cohen because he’s given every opportunity to call Aladeen out on his stupidity.

Unsurprisingly, the bar Cohen set with “Borat” will sour people on “The Dictator”. You want to walk out of one of his comedies feeling challenged and pushed further than you ever expected (in terms of entertainment), whereas the tone of “The Dictator” is clever, but resonates as mostly silly.

As far as the “traditional comedy” experiment goes, next time (assuming there is one) Cohen and Charles should try working with a story structure at least resembling more of a mockumentary, even—dare I say—found footage. It does not have to go back down the road of roping in real people, but Cohen benefits from that touch of realism.

The results of attempting to translate Cohen’s style to the rise-and-fall format suggest that his brand of comedy needs more space to breathe. The sketches and bits need time to develop organically, without an obligation to a through plot line. Fortunately, there’s enough successful humor here to see Cohen through until the next ridiculous character.

3/5 Stars

• The Dictator
• Directed by Larry Charles
• Written by Sacha Baron Cohen, Jeff Schaffer, Alec Berg, David Mandel
• Starring: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ben Kingsley, Anna Faris, Jason Mantzoukas

His formula is simple: 1) Create a character. 2) Imbue him with social and cultural ignorance and a host of stereotypes and/or insensitive world views. 3) Commit to him on and off the screen. 4) Use character to push boundaries of political correctness and obscenity. 5) Do not stop repeating No. 4. Ever.

The success of the formula to date has led to comic gold for Sacha Baron Cohen in his three biggest endeavors: “Da Ali G Show,” “Borat” and “Bruno,” and now the question is whether he can keep it up with “The Dictator,” which opens tomorrow.

The difference between “Borat” and “Bruno” from both a critical and monetary perspective already suggests that the comedian’s act is getting stale, which is perhaps why “The Dictator” drops the “mockumentary” style in favor of a traditional (yet no less vulgar) narrative.

“Borat” made more than $260 million worldwide, and “Bruno” only made half as much despite a better opening weekend (though to be fair “Borat” opened in fewer than 1,000 theaters). In terms of reviews, fans were less impressed by “Bruno” though critics still liked it enough that it sits at 67% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Cohen’s newest character, General Aladeen of the fictional Republic of Wadiya, certainly shares a bit more in common with Borat, though the sheer genius of the entire Borat character might never have an equal. Borat is a bumbling fool ignorant to his racism and sexism; General Aladeen appears to be a man so taken up by his sense of self-importance that he is ignorant to his own bigotry. The “Prince and the Pauper”-type story in place for “The Dictator” seems an excellent fit for this character.

Although the scene is set for a success, Cohen seems destined to be judged by the bar he set with “Borat.” Perhaps that’s rightfully so, but the comparison will likely be in regards to the quantity of moments in which theater-goers lose their shit, not the social commentary that so brilliantly underscores everything he does.

Undoubtedly there are people who mistake gross-out humor for Cohen’s greatest strength, not the fact that he challenges perceptions of obscenity by forcing comic situations out of our comfort zone. He exposes the true nature of our arbitrary standards for decency and always takes his chances doing so, even if most audiences will recoil in disgust.

What elevates his work, however, is how the story and the characters he creates expose our own ignorance. “Borat” does this better than any film in existence. Cohen embodies outlandish exaggerations of racism, sexism, anti-Semitism and general bigotry in order to show how unfounded and ridiculous these beliefs and behaviors are while simultaneously supporting the argument that in the right light, anything can be funny.

A lot of the intelligent thought here goes unobserved by most. For one, despite Borat’s flagrant anti-Semitism, Cohen himself is Jewish and when Borat speaks in his native Kazakh tongue, half the time he’s dropping bits of Hebrew. When Borat meets the the old Jewish couple, the two most normal people in the film, he flees them in terror. There’s a certain danger in perpetuating stereotypes and myths such as Jews having horns as you never know how someone ignorant might receive them, but he does it with such exaggeration that even the simplest of audiences have to find it at least a little absurd.

As Bruno, rather than playing a character who is hateful and ignorant, he plays the extreme stereotype himself—an extremely flamboyant man of ambiguous sexuality—and jabs at society’s discomfort with homosexuality. Although Bruno has a host of other issues that make him a funny character, the strength of that film is really in the few scenes that truly identify this rampant discomfort.

How “The Dictator” provides a social commentary will be at the heart of whether Cohen succeeds. There’s certainly room for him to poke at those who deny others the right to think and act as they wish as well as room to prove not all Arabs are terrorists.

While the comic aspects of what he does might vary film to film and ultimately determine his future in doing this kind of work, Cohen will always remain a top-notch comedian so long as he can find more characters that will challenge social and cultural perceptions.

Grief is a process. Psychology books and personal experience will tell you that. Perhaps not all of us experience someone being ripped from our lives in an instant, but the process is always the same. Why then, is it so challenging to watch 9-year-old Oskar (Thomas Horn), whose father (Tom Hanks) dies in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, endure this all-too-familiar pain? It should be moving to see a young albeit peculiar child come to terms with this in his own way.

“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” attempts to play powerful cinematic music with extremely sensitive strings. The story is steeped in trauma and mourning, so the obvious danger would likely be creating a film that’s too heavy or suffocating, but this story has moments of quirk, sincerity and even adventure. The trouble is that not until the end does the film ever let go of what Oskar calls “the Worst Day”—his code for 9/11. It haunts the entire movie, and while that can certainly be justified, it throws us out of sync with the characters, who all seem to experience the fiercest of emotions when we aren’t ready for them.

The biggest problem is Oskar. It has nothing to do with the young Horn’s performance, but everything to do with how Oscar winner Eric Roth was forced to adapt him for the screen. I have not read Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel, but my guess is given the abundant use of narration in the movie, Oskar tells the story in the first person. Considering we are forced to follow and identify with a 9-year-old with Asperger’s and probably some form of autism, understanding and relating to this character is crucial, yet maddeningly difficult.

Understandably through no fault of his own, Oskar treats his mother (Sandra Bullock) poorly, swears at his apartment building doorman (John Goodman), throws temper tantrums, lies and despite his curiosity and adventurous spirit, uses deduction in place of logic. He’s a nightmare of a main character, and his constant relapses as the film flashes back to 9/11 butt in every time you start to warm up to him.

Director Stephen Daldry has experience working with troubled boys (“Billy Elliot”), but he doesn’t appear to do enough to help us sympathize, which could be the result of roadblocks in the script. Given that Oskar holds secrets even from the audience until close to the end, most of which deal with revisiting 9/11, it’s hard to feel bad for him. He’s just a strange kid afraid to move on, which isn’t exactly revelatory.

Oskar’s pursuit of finding what a mysterious key found in his father’s closet belongs to is supposed to be the start of an adventure, but one that never really blossoms. The closest it ever gets is the 30 minutes in which Oskar befriends The Renter (Max von Sydow), an old man choosing to be mute that lives with Oskar’s grandmother in a nearby building. He accompanies Oskar on his journey and challenges him to overcome his fears, and makes for an interesting compliment to the ever-gabbing child. If you had to nominate “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” for an Academy Award, it would be for von Sydow, so in that sense perhaps he deserves recognition.

All the colorful characters you would expect Oskar to meet as he tries to find every single person with the last name Black living in New York City exist in voice-over snippets. From a quick outside glance, the story would likely be about a child going on an adventure expecting to find a meaningful answer and learning that the journey was the entire point, but it somehow ends up way more convoluted.

“Extremely Loud’s” Best Picture nomination is extremely unwarranted. Despite the talent on and behind the camera, the product as a whole is messy and most importantly, unable to connect emotionally with its audience. Certainly some people will connect with a moment or two and really appreciate the film’s emotional fearlessness, but anyone versed in Oscar-caliber drama knows this doesn’t fit the bill despite all the venerated talent that put this movie on Oscar radars everywhere when it first came together.

Maybe it’s that abundant talent that makes the film’s shortcomings all the more difficult to bear, but the more you think about it, the more you realize this kind of a perspective on September 11 — from the eyes of such a challenging protagonist — probably doomed it from the start. The craftsmanship, the acting and some of the raw moments in the story make the film nothing to scoff at, but the impact of it all, which is the heart of this kind of drama, doesn’t come across as it should.

2.5/5 Stars

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Directed by Stephen Daldry
Written by Eric Roth, Jonathan Safran Foer (novel)
Starring: Thomas Horn, Sandra Bullock, Tom Hanks, Max von Sydow

Could it really get any better than “The Avengers?” In an average movie summer, the answer would be a hesitant “possibly,” but Summer 2012 looks to be anything but average.

Rather than my usual extensive Summer Movie Preview, I’ve assembled a list of 15 movies post-”Avengers” that I am particularly interested in that I think you should all know about. Some of them you’re undoubtedly anticipating, but others might have not even been on your radar. Check it out.

15. Beasts of the Southern Wild (June 27, Limited)

Of all the films that could do the year-long lap from Sundance of one year to the Oscars of the next, it appears “Beast of the Souther Wild” stands the best chance. I would normally have minimal in interest in awards material in a movie season that calls upon my inner pyromaniac, but there’s a strong element of fantasy in this story that looks simply captivating. Focusing on a six-year-old girl with an active imagination forced to come to terms with her place in the world as a result of a storm and the impending attack of wild beasts called aurochs, “Beasts” appears to be a much more entertaining version of last year’s recognized artsy film “The Tree of Life.”

14. Total Recall (Aug. 3)

“Total Recall” is the hot chick at this summer’s party that comes in late and could well have rocks for brains, but you’ll take your chances. I wouldn’t call myself a fan of director Len Wiseman’s work, but I’ve been entertained by his “Underworld” films as well as “Live Free or Die Hard.” With the visual effects at his disposal as evidenced by this trailer, “Total Recall” could be his best film stylistically. As someone not particularly married to the Arnold Schwarzenegger original, I’m open to this futuristic reinterpretation of Philip K. Dick’s story about a man who suddenly realizes he’s a super soldier but unsure which side of a war he belongs on. If nothing else, it looks to be the last piece of eye candy we get to suck on this summer.

13. ParaNorman (Aug. 17)

Outside of Pixar, the other animation studios are offering sequels to drawn-out and boring franchises this summer. Then there’s “ParaNorman.” From two of the talents who worked on “Coraline,” this claymation film blends family comedy with gothic horror elements in a story about a boy with Haley Joel Osment syndrome who must stop the world of the dead from taking over the world of the living. In addition to looking like a fun and silly film for kids, the trailer indicates a strong dosage of horror parody.

12. Lawless  (Aug. 31)

Arriving so late in the summer it might as well be fall, “Lawless” boasts too good of an ensemble cast to pass up any time of year, and explosion junkies should take note that this prohibition-era drama looks to be equal parts action. John Hillcoat, who directed the adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” a couple years back, continues his trend of gritty filmmaking in this story of three real-life brothers whose bootlegging business is threatened by local authorities who want a piece of the action. Tom Hardy (in what will be his “The Dark Knight Rises” follow-up), Shia LaBeouf and Jason Clarke star as the brothers while Gary Oldman plays a gangster, Guy Pearce a fed and Jessica Chastain and Mia Wasikowska make things interesting.

11. The Campaign (Aug. 10)

Feelings on the 2012 campaign aside, this is an election we can all get behind. How it took this long for a modern-day political campaign to become comedic fodder is beyond me, and with Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis playing North Carolina rivals vying for a congress spot, expect some good old-fashioned mudslinging. Knowing how great at improvisational insults these two can be, a scene showcasing a debate would be all it would take for me to buy this pitch, so as a Hollywood producer it’s a no-brainer.

10. Safety Not Guaranteed (June 8, Limited)

The lighter of the two Sundance entries on my list is this quirky indie inspired by a real-life personal ad about a man (played by Mark Duplass) looking for someone to go back in time with. This is a huge year for Duplass, who outside of his starring role in FX’s “The League” wrote and directed “Jeff Who Lives At Home” and has roles in indies “Darling Companion,” “Your Sister’s Sister” and “People Like Us.” This one looks the most promising. His supporting cast is pretty rad too, with Aubrey Plaza of “Parks & Recreation” and Jake Johnson of “New Girl.” Certainly the notion of whether this guy can really time travel will hang over our heads for most of this film. The Sundance reception was quite positive.

9. Ted (July 13)

Seth MacFarlane of “Family Guy” finally makes the jump to live-action filmmaking with “Ted,” which not surprisingly features a character that’s not human acting like one in a world full of other humans. What makes this comedy so appealing is in the premise, with a boy’s wish for his best friend in the form of a teddy bear coming to life actually coming true and the repercussions of what happens when that teddy bear stays alive and grows up with you. Clearly it involves drugs and sex. Mark Wahlberg looks in the zone and longtime MacFarlane collaborator Mila Kunis is as good a lady comedian as any out there today. Expect this movie to go farther than you ever wanted it to go with the jokes, as the “R” rating for a mind usually confined to TV is like letting a beast out of its cage.

8. Moonrise Kingdom (May 25, Limited)

Wes Anderson has a habit of making his films really damn appealing, but somehow they all end up being just OK. So of course I’m about to tell you that “Moonrise Kingdom” looks like a real step up for the filmmaker. Prime real estate in the Cannes Film Festival doesn’t hurt, and neither do some excellent additions to the usual Anderson crew in Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand. The story is set in motion when two young people (like, 12 young) run away together, but it appears much of the film focuses on the adults searching for them.

7. The Dictator (May 16)

Instinctively, you have to wonder if Sacha Baron Cohen is comedic dynamite whose fuse is getting shorter. His shtick is so bombastic from the films themselves to the publicity stunts that promote them that it’s easy to think its gone stale. But the man has yet to disappoint me. “Bruno” was certainly a step down from “Borat,” but with the mockumentary angle by the way side for “The Dictator,” some clever writing should shine through. I’ll wait until Cohen actually delivers a stinker to make any judgements about his act.

6. Brave (June 22)

After “Cars 2” disappointed following three years of incredible Pixar movies, “Brave” is an interesting rebound as far as original material goes. Featuring human characters (minus an angry bear), a young female lead and set in Scotland, this is anything but traditional CGI fare, which should make it all the more intriguing. The fact that the marketing has shrouded the plot in complete mystery (outside of a princess who wants to change her fate) only adds to the confusion of what exactly Pixar has up its sleeve, but the film looks breathtaking. It’s hard to imagine “Brave” being anything but good, which makes it a summer must-see.

5. Snow White & the Huntsman (June 1)

As far as expectations go, this action fantasy made the biggest leap in buzz from hyped-up concept to trailer. The visual style of director Rupert Sanders, who like so many before him made his name directing a “Halo 3” spot, came straight to the forefront and the sense of danger and grit increased its appeal most drastically. This is what we expected of Tarsem Singh, who made March’s semi-flop “Mirror, Mirror.” “Huntsman” will appeal less to families and more to teens and adults, especially with Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth as the titular characters. The highlight, however, might well be the frightening Charlize Theron as the evil Queen Ravenna. The scope of the action and fantasy here looks astounding, with comparisons to Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro not unfounded.

4. The Bourne Legacy (Aug. 3)

No Damon, no Greengrass no problem. Although this summer has its fair share of reboots, “The Bourne Legacy” hardly counts. Director Tony Gilroy assisted in writing each of the first three films and made an acclaimed one in “Michael Clayton;” Jeremy Renner has become increasingly more badass after “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” and “The Avengers.” With a supporting cast of returning faces (Albert Finney, Joan Allen, David Strathairn) and new ones (Edward Norton, Rachel Weisz) this is can’t-miss August material if you like the “Bourne” franchise at all. A big success here could mean a stretch of new films.

3. The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3)

In a summer that includes “The Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” it’s easy to forget about Sony’s reboot of “Spider-Man.” Sure, fans didn’t ask for complete do-over just five years after “Spider-Man 3,” but a new vision could be exactly what one of Marvel’s most beloved characters needs. Focused on revamping Peter Parker’s origins through a mystery involving his parents, “The Amazing Spider-Man” looks to rely on fans’ pre-existing knowledge of the character to take the story to new places. With stellar young talent at its core in Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone along with a hip young director in Marc Webb “(500) Days of Summer,” this could be the film of the summer had a certain other movie not been slated 17 days later.

2. Prometheus (June 8)

How quickly did this return to science fiction for Ridley Scott go from ambiguous “Alien” prequel to epic sci-fi horror mystery gone viral? Filmed in 3D and rated “R,” “Prometheus” promises exceptional older-audiences entertainment. For a film that’s not a sequel, Fox has played this extremely close to the chest, about as close as Warner Bros. with “The Dark Knight Rises,” and it appears to be working. Scott loaded this film with top-shelf talent in Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce and more and it says everything about the quality of this production. If it’s anything but amazing I will be sorely disappointed.

1. The Dark Knight Rises (July 20)

Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to “The Dark Knight” wouldn’t just make the top film of the summer, or even the year, but easily the last four years. Nolan took the superhero genre to a whole other level with “Batman Begins” in 2005, showing us a gritty Gotham and a story brimming with intelligence and thematic resonance. “The Dark Knight” went even farther adding a truly ruthless villain and even more entertaining stunts-driven action. We have every reason to expect the nth degree as Nolan brings his trilogy full circle. The addition of Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, not to mention “Inception” alumni Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt suggest the story could be a bit stuffed, but those are excellent talents and Nolan has to this point delivered.

It has finally been assembled. Marvel’s decision to make “The Avengers” might seem like the superhero equivalent of the ensemble movie “Valentine’s Day,” or the theory that stuffing multiple popular actors into one movie is an adequate substitute for storytelling and makes it so marketable that no one could pass it up.

While that’s not necessarily not true of Marvel’s super plan five years in the making, “The Avengers” means something more to comic and superhero fans; it is a culmination of a lifetime of anticipation that does in fact have a historical precedent set by Marvel Comics. Essentially, this movie is a collective nerd-gasm, but whether you’re part of it or not, there’s plenty to love about how geek godfather Joss Whedon tackles this gargantuan task.

Still, it’s pretty amazing what bundling seven or so of the most beloved comic characters of all time into one package can do when it comes to creating an entertaining diversion. Many folks will nitpick at “The Avengers” script from now until eternity, but something needs to be said for the experience of being so awe-stricken that you couldn’t care about those things if you tried. There’s no shame in covering up “flaws” with entertainment, especially when you deliver that entertainment with a level of quality rivaled by few blockbusters of this scale.

“The Avengers” is a near-perfect execution of giving the people what they want. If you had to make a list of what you wanted from an “Avengers” movie, Whedon and Marvel would appear to have read your mind. The action sequences blow every previous superhero film out of the air, land and sea, the wit and humor come from more than just a series of punchlines or catch phrases, and all the characters get a chance to shine from an action and development perspective.

Story is secondary to achieving those goals. Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth) power-obsessed brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) has made a deal with an alien race known as the Chitauri to destroy Earth so he can rule it. He breaks into a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility and steals the Tesseract, an object at the center of “Captain America: The First Avenger” that has the power to open a gateway through which the Chitauri can invade. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), realizing Earth is about to be at war with an unstoppable force, summons Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), a displaced Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor in hopes they can place nice and band together to stop Loki.

So you have high stakes (global destruction), and a force powerful enough to justifiably bring all these heroes together. That’s all you really need. The script properly gives each hero reasons to fight and a personal journey, something to overcome. All this for seven characters in a 140-minute runtime. Even though we’re building up to yet another movie climax that involves the destruction of a major American city by hostile alien forces, it’s still this unique grouping of characters that changes the whole game.

As someone who seems to specialize in creating projects that develop cult followings, Whedon was really a perfect choice to write and direct. Despite what one would assume to be a lot of pressure, you never get the sense that “The Avengers” is trying too hard. The balancing act of all these characters might have seemed too tall an order for any one man, yet with actors really dedicated to the souls of their characters, Whedon and the cast pack in so much into even the smallest of exchanges.

One character the movie excels at in particular is The Hulk. Ruffalo commands the role of Banner as if he was the one who played him in the first two “Hulk” features. The script paints him as the team’s secret weapon, but also as the most volatile link in the chain. Some fear the green monster, others (Tony Stark) try to provoke him. Either way, despite sharing screen time, this Hulk is both more brutal and emotionally accessible than ever before. More than any other character, you’ll end up most curious about what Marvel might do with him next.

In general, the lack of time needing to be spent on plot development gets rationed off to all the characters, allowing the third-act action to pay off in more terms than simply eye candy. Each hero has a personal story arc or obstacle to overcome, whether its Tony Stark proving he can set aside his ego or Captain American understanding that he can be relevant in the 21st Century.

With so many heroes in one film, Hiddleston had to bear a ton of weight as Loki, creating a presence that could balance out all these good guys. Although not much of a physical threat, his The Joker-like move to allow himself to be imprisoned gives him the fuel to be cunning and unpredictable in performance and in actuality.

From a pure entertainment perspective, “The Avengers” should be considered king of all superhero movies. What it lacks in thematic and character depth it makes up for with action and humor. Whedon writes so expertly around cliches and identifies ways to make the film naturally funny, and the way the action scenes are edited together, there’s no confusion in regard to what’s going on despite the chaos of the Chitauri invasion scene.

Marvel deserves all the credit in the world for building to this point and delivering precisely what fans wanted. Although anyone can enjoy this romp, not just those who saw both “Iron Man” films, “Thor” and “Captain America,” there’s no doubt the legwork in those films makes it so much easier to enjoy the entire dynamic of “The Avengers.” What a momentous achievement from a business, filmmaking and audience perspective.

4.5/5 Stars

The Avengers
Directed by Joss Whedon
Written by Joss Whedon, Zak Penn, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (characters)
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Renner

The two most lovable stoners in movie history return in “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas,” which somehow continues the series’ impressive balancing act of clever humor, crude jokes, stoner gags and heart.

When you look at the franchise’s three biggest stars — John Cho, Kal Penn and Neil Patrick Harris — it becomes clearer why the movies work. All three of them have gone on to be successful in all manner of films and television shows, a testament to their acting ability. If they had been written and portrayed as shallow, obnoxious stoners, this Christmas special would’ve been direct-to-DVD and recast with no-name actors.

This third adventure takes place six years after “Escape from Guantanamo Bay,” and our dear friends have stopped talking to each other because Harold has grown up and Kumar has not. Their paths collide once more, however, when a package for Harold arrives at Kumar’s apartment. He courteously brings it to Harold’s new house, where they reconnect and discover it’s a giant joint, and they accidentally burn down Harold’s father-in-law’s (Danny Trejo) beloved Christmas tree.

The search to replace the Christmas tree before midnight mass is on, and it takes the duo and their replacement best friends Todd (Thomas Lennon) and Adrian (Amir Blumenfeld) on less of a wild journey in terms of geography and general weirdness, but one with plenty of wacked-out sequences from claymation drug trips to NPH’s recollection of his time in heaven to an R-rated riff on a classic “A Christmas Story” gag.

With all the 3D pandering and psychedelic trips (every drug imaginable gets play time), “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” was meant to be experienced on the big screen (or a 3D LED set), but its meta jabs at the medium help ease the multitude of slow-motion shots that hurt the pacing of the movie when viewed in 2D.

As a fan of the series who is not a fan of the marijuana (in the using sense), several scenes remind the sober viewers we’re not high enough to watch this movie, but enough of the jokes are clever as opposed to simply balls-out. I’ve always found that the hallmark of the franchise is never that each installment is a laugh fest, but that it stays grounded while occasionally funnier than you’d guess it would be. This is of course thanks to Penn and Cho, whose chemistry continues to be the bread and butter of the series. That, and the reliably delightful appearance of Harris.

In spite of the many examples the film puts forward that give us an opportunity to shrug it off as immature and stupid, it finds ways of being charming. How you can find yourself rooting for a waffle-making robot not included in the film for any logical reason is testament to what Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have created.

3.5/5 Stars

• A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas
• Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson
• Written by John Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg
• Starring: John Cho, Kal Penn, Neil Patrick Harris

The horror genre clings onto and feeds off of audience expectations. From a fan perspective, horror-lovers tend to flock to films that appear as if they will evoke the feelings of previous successes, even to the point of supporting blatant mimicry. From a filmmaking perspective, a horror director’s go-to card is expectation—the audience recognizing those classic audio and visual clues that create the anticipation of a scare.

The entire horror genre is built on the foundation of what we think will happen, so when “The Cabin in the Woods” comes along and utilizes these expectations while also blowing the roof completely off them, it makes for a wildly entertaining success.

Sure, some folks will want a run-of-the-mill “cabin in the woods” story, the one we’ve seen a thousand times thanks to paragons “Friday the 13th” and “The Evil Dead” among others. “The Cabin in the Woods” might let down those purists who rank the scare factor as top priority, but for fans of parody and satire, this is a must-see.

The minds behind the film suggest a certain intelligence you won’t find in horror offerings from amateurs. Drew Goddard, writer of “Cloverfield” and on TV’s “Lost,” and Joss Whedon, one of the most revered names in geek culture, team up on a script that delivers a great deal of wit and at the same time a strong mystery, a combination that makes for an irrepressibly exciting movie.

“The Cabin in the Woods” requires a certain amount of aversion to spoilers in order to be fully enjoyed, though so many unsuspected twists crop up that a few details won’t actually ruin anything. Essentially, five college kids head to a remote cabin for the weekend and predictably ignore some tell-tale signs that something’s amiss. The catch is that despite seeing this setup before, we as an audience don’t even quite know what’s going on this time around. The fact that the film doesn’t open on a cabin, woods, or college kids is your first hint.

Perhaps the biggest surprise has nothing do with the plot: the young protagonists are somewhat likable and the actors portraying them have a good deal of talent. Nearly everyone will recognize Chris Hemsworth (Thor himself) as Curt, but the highlights are unknowns Kristen Connolly and Fran Kranz as Dana and Marty, one an attractive bookworm and the other a clever stoner. The characters fit your horror stereotypes, but each with a bit of a twist that makes them more respectable. Even the “dumb blonde” (Anna Hutchison) isn’t that dumb as she cares about her friends. Heck, the fact that these five would all be friends is kind of a jab at stereotypes.

Strong writing reinforces the fact that these are more developed characters and shows Goddard and Whedon recognize that even though the goal is to turn the genre upside down, their film still needs to do the things good horror films do right in order to succeed.

Without giving anything away, the central idea behind the movie is basically to give a mythology to a typical horror story motif such as the cabin in the woods, to weave it together with a science-fiction yarn that allows us to look at the genre both with humor and a greater reverence.

“The Cabin in the Woods” provides pure entertainment of a brilliant sort, an absolute rarity in any genre, let alone horror. With some pitch-perfect casting in roles best kept a secret, Goddard and Whedon sell their twist with great effectiveness. In hindsight, the whole operation could have backfired had there been just the slightest reason not to stay interested or care about the characters.

Anyone with a keen eye for or love of satire and a familiarity with the horror offerings being played off of will find themselves on the exact same page as Goddard throughout the film. Consequently, these folks will simply love “The Cabin in the Woods.” It’s one thing to poke fun at a genre—anyone can do that, especially in horror. This movie does it without flopping into silly mindless spoof territory, instead entertaining us exactly as a traditional horror riff would.

Although you won’t see critical accolades because genre films get no love, “The Cabin in the Woods” will get its due when it appears on countless Best of 2012 lists—unless more and more 2012 movies that aren’t supposed to be this good soar beyond expectations.

4.5/5 Stars

The Cabin in the Woods
Directed by Drew Goddard
Written by Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Fran Kranz, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison

Just like how rules were meant to be broken, prisons were meant to be broken out of, and movies have literally and figuratively given us much escapist entertainment over the years.

Prison movies are especially fun when we’re not just talking iron bars. A great number of filmmakers over the years have imagined prisons of the future or other unconventional clinks. This new film “Lockout” (read my review) imagines we might send the worst of our kind into stasis lockup in outer space. It might not be the best use of taxpayer dollars, but it begs the question: what are some of the other coolest movie prisons?

10. Cook County Jail – “Chicago”

Maybe it’s my hometown bias, or maybe it’s because in “Chicago,” we only see the women’s ward—unusual for a movie featuring prison anything—and these women are tough, shameless killers. The “Cell Block Tango” number has no equal in musical history, and Rob Marshall makes it a highlight of the 2002 Best Picture winner.

9. Tie: Terminal Island (“Death Race”) and ICS Studios (“The Running Man”)

Since both these films use prisons in the same context—a dystopia in which convicts are essentially pitted against each other for the amusement of the masses—I’ve combined them. If we’re honest with ourselves, the only way to make a prison movie exciting is to either make it a heavyweight drama of Oscar-contending proportions, have someone try to escape the prison, or have the inmates duke it out. In the case of “The Longest Yard,” the lattermost option was something sane (football), but in these movies it’s about a battle to the death. ICS Studios puts on an “American Gladiators”-type competition while the folks in charge of Terminal Island load up cars with weapons. Ah, perhaps the Romans had it right.

8. The Phantom Zone – Superman Series

Richard Donner’s idea for how to show the imprisonment of General Zod and his lackeys turned into one of the most lasting images from the original “Superman.” The Phantom Zone has only really been explored in the TV series “Smallville,” but where better to put the most dangerous criminals than in another dimension? The fact that it’s a floating piece of diamond-shaped glass is just icing.

7. Plastic Prison – “X2: X-Men United”  

When your most dangerous criminal is a man who can manipulate metal, imprisoning him becomes a hell of a task. So, Bryan Singer and the folks behind ”X2: X-Men United” constructed this incredibly memorable prison entirely out of plastic. Although highlighted at the end of the first film with a lovely game of chess between Magneto and Professor X, Magneto’s breakout in “X2” makes for one of the more unusual escapes in movie history.

6. Fiorina 161 – “Alien 3″

Although this third installment (famously the directorial debut of David Fincher) started the downward trajectory of the “Alien” franchise, it had an interesting prison concept that was perhaps part of the inspiration behind “Lockout.” Ripley’s ship crash lands on a prison planet/colony called Fiorina 161, which is better known as “Fury.” The planet is inhabited by “Double-Y chromosome” males who have committed acts of physical and sexual violence. The are few more novel ideas than sending perverts and murderers into space.

5. Erehwon – “Face/Off” 

Don’t have the means to ship your criminals off into space? An oil rig in the middle of the ocean will do. Knowing what John Travolta and Nicolas Cage would become, it’s a little embarrassing to like John Woo’s 1997 film these days, but it was definitely cool. In order to get the location of a bomb, Travolta’s character must infiltrate this top-secret prison while wearing Cage’s face. The other interesting tidbit is that all the inmates wear heavy iron boots, most likely to keep them from planning any escape that involves swimming.

4. Azkaban – Harry Potter Series 

In creating the amazing world of “Harry Potter,” author J.K. Rowling had to imagine how wizards would imprison their most dangerous criminals. Despite “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” coming first, we don’t really get to see the place until “Order of the Phoenix” when Voldemort breaks his old friends out. It’s every bit as creepy as we’re led to believe. For fans of the series’ dark direction, it can be said that the arrival of a darker edge in these films happens simultaneously with the arrival of the soul-sucking Dementors, the specters who guard Azkaban and descend upon Hogwarts in the third film.

3. Alcatraz – “Escape from Alcatraz”

Considering that it exists as part of actual United States history, Alcatraz has fascinated a number of storytellers, from the folks that put together this film starring Clint Eastwood to Michael Bay (“The Rock”) and Brett Ratner (“X-Men: The Last Stand”). Supposedly inescapable, the alleged story of the one man who did it lives on in this film as well as many other stories. Simply, The Rock belongs on this list.

2. Shawshank State Prison - “The Shawshank Redemption”

Although dramatic entries and run-of-the-mill penitentiaries have been skipped thus far, Shawshank would’ve still made this list on name alone, aside from coming from one of the most universally loved films of all time. Frank Darabont proves (and Stephen King would later again prove) its not the prison but the people inside it that makes a great prison movie. You become truly immersed in the subculture of this prison, which ultimately leads to this film’s classic status.

1. Manhattan Island Prison – “Escape from New York”

Here’s an idea: when a city gets downtrodden enough to the point that it’s full of criminals and vagrants, why not turn it into a self-contained prison? One of John Carpenter’s many gems ideas, and unquestionably the biggest inspiration for “Lockout,” Manhattan Island Prison proves that prison is much more interesting when it’s a playground with its own rules.

It’s fair to say Luc Besson has gotten a bit giddy ever since “Taken.” The man who once upon a time brought us “La Femme Nikita” and “Leon: The Professional” has instead taken  to lighter action fare, in this case recruiting amateurs James Mather and Stephen St. Leger to help write and direct his “original idea.” Exactly—not a “story by” credit, but “original idea.”

That’s not to say “Lockout” isn’t creative, but it’s definitely not original. Some might dub it “Taken in space,” especially considering it borrows that film’s starlet in Maggie Grace, but it’s much more akin to “Escape from New York in space.” Either way, “Lockout” is another simple-concept action film from Besson, only it has a bigger ego that gets in the way sometimes.

“Lockout” is good for kicks, a fact of which it’s very aware. Guy Pearce’s Snow, the morally questionable and reluctant hero written so closely to the archetype he almost transcends it, weirdly. He has a sense of humor best described as abundant (though sometimes quite clever), and Pearce plays him especially wry; most actors (think Nicolas Cage) would’ve hammed it up too much or been unconvincing.

Snow is tasked with rescuing the president’s daughter (Grace), who is stuck on a maximum security prison in space that has incurred a major security breach. These are the world’s most dangerous criminals, plus they have been in stasis for any number of years, which has made them even nuttier. Joseph Gilgun as Rydell, one of two Scottish prisoners trying to run the uprising, is a particularly deranged fellow reminiscent of a demented Groundskeeper Willie.

Both Rydell and the other main baddie, Alex (Vincent Regan), have a cold-blooded edge that could have made for an effective R-rated ransom thriller reminiscent of late ‘90s films like Air Force One, but the devil-may-care attitude of the entire movie ultimately clashes with these darker moments, even though they do make you take the movie more seriously than you would otherwise.

After a little bit of context at the beginning to properly motivate Snow, both he and us are effectively shot from a canon. The story only slows down a bit toward the end, but it mostly plays out as a series of dominoes. The action doesn’t satisfy so much as the pace and the threat of violence (now here’s a good example of how you do PG-13 violence), but it’s well done aside from an opening motorcycle sequence shot on green screen and outfitted with an effects job that really shows the budget.

Aside from that, the futuristic sci-fi elements stay pretty classy—nothing overdone or distracting. The gadgets provide some creativity to a number of the sequences and the script manages to inject some unpredictability into a story that could not have a more obvious trajectory.

Despite the self-awareness at points, with a lot of that credit going to Pearce, Lockout tries especially hard to be entertaining on too many fronts, aspiring to be the consummate popcorn flick rather than just identifying one tone and sticking with it. The final scene on the space prison strangely evokes the original “Star Wars” Death Star run, as if to make sure the audience gets to munch on some sci fi/fantasy before the credits roll.

It’s hard to fault “Lockout” for aiming to please considering that that spirit seems to be the driving force behind the movie’s strengths as well as its weaknesses. Although the number of attempts at humor might catch some folks off guard, “Lockout” offers what anyone interested in the film would expect, if for no other reason than its built upon tons of tropes from previously effective movies. In turn, “Lockout” is effective, but not too much more.

3/5 Stars

Lockout
Directed by James Mather, Stephen St. Leger
Written by James Mather, Stephen St. Leger, Luc Besson
Starring: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Joseph Gilgun, Vincent Regan

So often the most powerful card in a brooding character study ends up the one never played. The mystery lying behind the on-screen display of social perversion, which in the case of “Martha Marcy May Marlene” comes as a manipulative cult, can drive intense interest just through sheer curiosity as to what possible force in this universe could drive such queer behavior.

Our only window to that explanation is lead actress Elizabeth Olsen. The younger sister of twin child stars quickly distances herself as a talent to be reckoned with. She plays a young woman who has successfully run away from a cult in upstate New York and attempts to re-assimilate with her sister (Sarah Paulson) and her husband (Hugh Dancy) in their wealthy Connecticut summer home.

Writer/director Sean Durkin constructs some pristine transitions between Martha’s present rehabilitation and the key revealing moments of her troubled two years as Marcy May. In doing so he flawlessly conveys her psychological trauma and injects suspense (however temporary) into the narrative.

Durkin opts for long takes and minimal camera movement, which provides a sense of authenticity. This might seem counterintuitive, as a “documentary feel” can most often be attributed to shaky-cam, but it allows us to really observe and study Olsen’s character (as well as her acting).

True to the schizophrenic nature of the title, we get a number of different shades from Olsen’s performance. We see her as a sweet young woman, a rebel, afraid, in control, angry, sad —all of the above. Then of course there’s the stoic, emotionless side that we see plenty of throughout the film. Olsen owns all of these, despite that Martha never undergoes an arc or journey as a character due to the constant flashbacks. Rather it’s we the viewer who goes on that journey from uninformed to somewhat enlightened.

It’s not nearly as transformative a process as Durkin would have us believe, as all along we assume the traumatic nature of Martha’s time with Patrick (John Hawkes) and the many young men and women on the farm. The real rub comes from an understanding that their way of life has some convincing selling points, but in methodology it is no less devoid of evil than what’s considered normal.

The intrigue posed by this psychology study drives the tempo, as Durkin stylistically (outside of the transitions) does us no favors in changing the film’s pace through dramatic incident until the last 20 minutes or so, and even that has a certain subtlety to it. Still, he demonstrates visual adeptness with a camera and keeps our curiosity active throughout.

Although missing the kind of revelation that makes these kinds of dramatic thrillers unforgettable, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” showcases top-notch craftsmanship and a leading performance that rarely fails to captivate.

4/5 Stars

Martha Marcy May Marlene
Written and Directed by Sean Durkin
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes, Hugh Dancy

After Easter weekend here, expect the box office to cool off with some April showers. Until then, however, it’s a weekend for nostalgists with “American Reunion” bringing “the gang” back together nearly 10 years later and “Titanic” sailing back into theaters 15 years later in 3D.

Now in Theaters

American Reunion

Directed by Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg
Written by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, Adam Herz (characters)
Starring: Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott

Summary: Nearly 10 years after “American Wedding,” the gang that changed the face of comedy reunites and just in time for their high school reunion.

The Word: As with a number of major franchises in the early 2000s (“Scream” comes to mind), the “American Pie” series has decided to make a comeback nine years later, or at least set aside the straight-to-DVD college party movies for the moment. The whole gang returns, but will their drawing power be anywhere near where it was? Only Hannigan has maintained a successful career over the entirety of that span thanks to CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother.” Universal has handed the keys over to the duo behind the “Harold & Kumar” movies in hopes of a memorable reunion special.

Rotten Tomatoes: 49% (mixed)

My Thoughts: Although I think Hurwitz and Schlossberg are the best choices for making the most of this exclamation point on what’s certainly a generation-defining comedy, I’ve my doubts about this series rediscovering any of its former glory, and I’ve been less than impressed with the TV spots.

Titanic 3D

Written and Directed by James Cameron
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane

Summary: A wealthy young woman meets and falls for a zesty yet poor young man aboard the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic.

The Word: The ever-scrupulous writer/director James Cameron has outfitted this 11-time Oscar winning Best Picture for 3D, certainly a first for this genre. The former highest-grossing film of all time won’t be able to catch “Avatar,” but should increase its all-time total nicely.

Rotten Tomatoes: 87% (great)

My Thoughts: If someone can post-convert a film effectively, it has to be Cameron. I don’t think that I could personally sit through a film more than three hours long wearing those damn glasses, but if a chance to taste one of film’s greatest love stories again on the big screen has you tickled, well then by all means.

Box Office Predictions

Timely and familiar: these are the two qualities “Tower Heist” has going for it. Heist films have a reputation for good fun, and when said heist is pulled off by average or incompetent folks like these, all the better, as the characters become even easier to like. Add that they’re stealing from a millionaire who has defrauded hardworking people and you have a pitch-perfect modern battle of the 99 percent versus the one.

Director Brett Ratner sticks to the basics with “Tower Heist” and makes it work, plain and simple. Ben Stiller takes his seat at the head of the table of relatable guys and Eddie Murphy plops down next to him as the crooked thief version of his Donkey character from “Shrek.” Add Matthew Broderick, Casey Affleck, Gabourey Sidibe and Michael Pena as out-of-type supporting characters and you have a bumbling group of lovable fools.

All these (except Murphy) work for Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) in his multi-million dollar luxury apartment building. When Shaw is arrested and they all learn their pensions (which Shaw managed) were essentially gone, their love of him, namely Stiller’s Josh Kovacs, turns to anger. After an FBI agent (Tea Leoni) tips them off that Shaw’s likely hiding a multimillion-dollar safety net somewhere in the building, Kovacs rallies a group of them together to find and steal the cash and hires Murphy’s character Slide to teach them the tricks of grand larceny.

The first portion of the film builds up these characters, their devotion to their work and their love of Shaw. It’s not a particularly funny chunk of the film, but coming from Ratner, it’s a thumbs up when you can say he appears not to try too hard (though that’s not the case throughout, however). The humor enters the picture as these guys learn how to be crooks. A sequence at the mall when Slide challenges them to steal $50 worth of merchandise in 15 minutes to prove they’re in for real stands out as one of the more clever.

Enter the heist act and the film dives off the silly cliff. Rather than get overly complicated in showing how they manage to get their way inside the tower, the film plays up the stupidity of security guards and other antics. Those expecting a really technical, exciting and realistic heist will find themselves, in a sense, defrauded. The script bets on its ludicrous nature and amusing characters to charm a smile on your face.

The real laugh-out-loud moments are scarce, but the minor characters add to our desire to see this plan succeed, no matter how *not* fool-proof it is. They keep our attention and make for some digestible entertainment. Talents like Affleck and Broderick relegating themselves to minor parts add a unique depth to the supporting roles that somewhat cancels out many of the predictable Murphy moments one would expect from a Ratner-directed feature.

“Tower Heist” also possesses some creativity that’s rare for a multi-writer script. Over the top it might be, but most sequences show you something you haven’t seen before despite the fact that the story’s skeleton gives you only things you’ve seen before. The result is a nice balance that makes for a watchable heist comedy.

3/5 Stars

Tower Heist
Directed by Brett Ratner
Written by Ted Griffin, Jeff Nathanson, Adam Cooper, Bill Collage
Starring: Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick, Tea Leoni

The hype, the fan base, the skeptics—the skeptics created by the hype and the fan base—all of these make adapting an insanely popular novel anything but easy. Given the breadth of the age and gender demographics that Suzanne Collins’ young adult science-fiction story “The Hunger Games” has reached, there are so many niches to please. You have older males intrigued by the dystopian vision and unabashed violence and the younger females inspired by Katniss Everdeen and moved by the story’s many tender relationships (and vice-versa to be certain).

“The Hunger Games” is without question a success, but a success can be measured in so many ways. An adaptation can be a success through faithfulness to the source material (aka by not screwing anything up) and pleasing the core fans (that would be “Twilight”). It can be determined by box-office success (also “Twilight”) or by taking risks in order to create a unique film experience and widen its appeal. Director Gary Ross’ vision for “The Hunger Games” checks off all of the above, and the secret is the film’s total and undying devotion to its leading lady.

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) lives with her mother and younger sister Prim (Willow Shields) in District 12, one of a dozen in the nation of Panem, a dictatorship built on the ruins of North America. She’s the family breadwinner, quite literally, as her hunting skills allow her to feed her family and trade for whatever else they need. She’s torn from them, however, when, in order to protect Prim, she volunteers to represent District 12 in the Hunger Games, a televised fight to the death that serves as an annual reminder of the Capitol’s hold on its people.

In many ways, the role echoes Lawrence’s Oscar-nominated performance in “Winter’s Bone,” and Ross’s camera treats her in ways similar to that drama. She’s fierce, independent yet a bit emotionally volatile, a survivalist as well as a nurturer. Ross recognizes the complexity Collins infused in her literary heroine and approaches the film as a character study. Rather than pristinely framed shots, Ross opts for mostly handheld camerawork throughout the film, especially in the beginning, as if trying to document Lawrence’s performance in order to access Katniss’ emotions and the roller coaster they endure.

The film takes its time in the beginning with this naturalistic approach and it makes the buildup to the games essentially better than the payoff. Those who have read the book countless times and no precisely what’s coming next will still find themselves enrapt by the suspense. The Reaping, the scene in which the District 12 tributes are chosen, is executed breathlessly, especially considering that from the movie’s opening minutes the outcome is about as obvious as putting a match to flint.

During the steady climb to the arena, Ross gives us as much time to get used to the world of the Capitol as Katniss receives in the story. Although our natural curiosity creates the desire to become fully immersed in this world of colorful makeup, bizarre fashion and extravagant dining, Ross refuses us. He aspires to preserve the feelings of total displacement that Katniss experiences, for it to seem as weird to us as it does to her. The choice is a risky one for folks unfamiliar with the book, which delves deeper into Katniss’ makeover, but the script, which Ross, Collins and Billy Ray (“State of Play,” “Flightplan”) collaborated on, finds ways to paint that picture through expertly crafted dialogue delivered by outstanding supporting actors.

Effie (Elizabeth Banks), Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) and Cinna (Lenny Kravtiz) are spot-on with their performances, despite being criminally under-explored. We like the honest and gentle Cinna, for example, but we don’t get to understand why he cares for Katniss and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson). Banks’ bubbly Effie gives us a taste of the Capitol’s ignorance, but she’s otherwise relegated to comic relief. As for Harrelson as drunken mentor Haymitch, he gets some of the best lines in the entire film, ones that somehow weaving together wit with exposition, but in a flash he goes from morally questionable to lovable ally. It would seem these are the sacrifices of making a genre film with such a complex main character.

As for the Games, Ross amps up the guerilla style in order to continue our experience of Katniss’ emotions. Scenes including Peeta, therefore, offer a welcome change of pace, pulling us out of the Katniss vortex. By association, Hutcherson gives a likable performance and Hutcherson’s interpretation is so convincingly like that of Peeta in the novel.

Shaky-cam also offers a great way to distort teen-on-teen violence for the purposes of a PG-13 rating. Although the deaths are still startling, the lack of blood or really any bare-knuckle grittiness makes the action scenes rather uneventful and mostly mutes the emotional impact. Collins’ descriptions in the book are infinitely more terrifying. Although the squeamish could care less, the prospect of facing death in the arena as well as the horrific notion that any world would take pleasure in fashioning and consuming this mass homicide almost never come to conscience. The choice to glaze over death is certainly not an artistic but a financial one, which as a fan is a tough pill to swallow. At least the devotion to character makes up for it.

Violence and supporting character development are the chief sacrifices, but they are not martyrs. They were decisions made knowing the result would bring one of the strongest young-adult heroines (and frankly, heroes) to grace the screen in some time. Even the romance is downplayed (for this movie) in order to set the stakes for the brewing sense of revolution that determines the trajectory of the rest of the series.

“The Hunger Games” proves that one of the few things that books and films have in common—characters—lie at the heart of a successful adaptations. The film’s devotion to re-creating the book’s first-person perspective (without the use of narration) sets it apart. Ross and company bring us into the world of the books with an artistic flair that outdoes every first installment of a high-profile adaptation, a vision that does not succumb to the task’s infinite pressures. Happy Hunger Games indeed.

4/5 Stars

The Hunger Games
Directed by Gary Ross
Written by Gary Ross, Suzanne Collins and Billy Ray
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson, Liam Hemsworth

Although the hugeness of “The Hunger Games” is bound to make up the box-office story again this weekend, a couple noteworthy films getting big releases enter the fold to close up March (and Spring Break) for most folks. The first is the Greek mythology sequel “Wrath of the Titans” and the second is a quirky family-friendly re-imagining of the “Snow White” tale entitled “Mirror, Mirror.”

Now in Theaters

Mirror, Mirror

Directed by Tarsem Singh
Written by Melissa Wallack and Jason Keller, The Brothers Grimm (story)
Starring: Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane

Summary: In this retelling of the classic story, Snow White (Collins) is a princess that will inherit her father’s throne, but the Evil Queen (Roberts) has plans to get rid of her. Snow White takes refuge with a band of dwarves and learns the skills to reclaim her birthright.

The Word: The first of the fairy tale revisions thrust into development after “Alice in Wonderland” blew up the box office in 2010, “Mirror, Mirror” puts a family adventure comedy twist on “Snow White.” Most people expected something darker from visual auteur Tarsem Singh, but the film has a distinctly family-friendly vibe.

Rotten Tomatoes: 54% (mixed)

My Thoughts: Although I don’t doubt the costumes and the set decoration will be magnificent, the trailers make the film seem dated, as if it were something I would’ve expected to see as a child growing up in the ’90s. The mixed reviews suggest that the quirky humor is hitting the right notes with only about half its audience.

Wrath of the Titans

Directed by Jonathan Liebesman
Written by Dan Mazeau, David Leslie Johnson, Greg Berlanti
Starring: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Rosamund Pike, Ralph Fiennes, Édgar Ramírez

Summary: Many years after the events of the first film, Zeus (Neeson) calls on Perseus (Worthington) to stop his rebellious son Ares (Ramirez), god of war, who along with Hades (Fiennes) has unleashed the Titans (thought to have been imprisoned forever) on Earth.

The Word: Worthington looked set for global superstardom after “Avatar” and “Clash of the Titans” came out with four months of each other. He cooled off in 2011, but hopes to prove “Clash” was no fluke as it made lots of money but was not a hit with critics or most audiences. Liebesman (“Battle: Los Angeles”) fills the shoes of Louis Leterrier, but both have an in-your-face action style anyway.

Rotten Tomatoes: 27% (bad)

My Thoughts: The budget looks to have increased significantly in this one and the action (which was unmemorable in the first) appears to have been ratcheted up big time. Despite highly disliking the first film, the intensity of this one from the looks of it has me almost willing to forget about its existence. Either way, I’m not optimistic about the story.

Box Office Predictions

What was the point of making a “21 Jump Street” movie? No, really, why bother remaking or rebooting re-imagining a short-lived cop series from the ‘80s, especially when you’ve targeted your movie at people born long after it went off the air?

The way writer Michael Bacall along with Jonah Hill, directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller and anyone else with a creative hand in this movie answer this question earns “21 Jump Street” its badge of honor—or dishonor, depending how you look at it.

“21 Jump Street” is as monumental of a sendup as has ever been committed to film. It’s mere existence serves us a refreshing dose of Hollywood self-ridicule uncommon in today’s movies. Oh, and it’s really funny.

The film reveals its intentions early when Nick Offerman’s Dep. Chief Hardy assigns our heroes Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) to 21 Jump Street where they’ll be debriefed on going undercover as high schoolers, but not before rambling about how the higher-ups like to waste everyone’s time reviving dead programs from the ‘80s. Sounds like Hollywood in a nutshell.

Everything from chase scenes to the buddy-cop dynamic to explosions faces the satirical scrutiny of the filmmakers and Lord and Miller play it up to the point at which it can neither be taken too seriously or blown off as immature twaddle.

Hill and Tatum make a good duo, but Tatum’s presence in the film makes it fresh. Unless you subjected yourself to “The Dilemma,” you’ve never witnessed his comic prowess. His combination of bravado, idiocy and deep-seated social insecurity as Jenko make him a real hit. Hill also works the full range of smart and awkward to totally outrageous.

The script uses the brilliant device of having these two accidentally assume the high-school identity intended for the other, so Tatum has to hang out with the dorks while Hill must get in with the cool kids. A spot-on satire of how high-school kids have completely changed in just a matter of five or six years emerges here. Of our two high-school drug dealers, one cares a lot about green initiatives and the other is gay, which is not exactly in line with high-school stereotypes. At one point, Tatum profanely blames “Glee” for screwing up the once-Darwinian nature of the high school social hierarchy.

As for jokes, “21 Jump Street” piles on crude humor, though usually with more effectiveness than most run-of-the-mill R-rated offerings. Seeing as Schmidt and Jenko must track down the supplier of a new synthetic drug, the movie offers more than a couple instances of drug-trip sequences, namely one in which Eric (Dave Franco, James’ little brother) makes the two try the drug so he “knows they’re cool.” Given that the script explicitly states that the drug works in four main stages — one of which is “tripping major ballsack” — it builds up the humor more effectively.

Immaturity abounds in the film, but with a wink and a smile. Except for maybe an older, slightly more ignorant audience, few people will watch this start to finish and not realize the filmmakers are aware of the dumb and silly moments in the movie. You can even see through the awkward quasi-romance between Schmidt and Brie Larson’s character, Molly, because no one would find romantic catharsis in a budding relationship between a 25-year-old and high school senior.

Like most modern comedies, “21 Jump Street” has a number of misses in spite of its many successful laughs, but the majority of them work, especially because in painting this typical picture of high school, it adds a few fine details of what high school is really like these days.

Best, however, for those familiar with the TV show to divorce themselves from anything related to it, as the movie merely leeches off the name and premise, then tosses everything off to the side minus a few obvious in-jokes. It’s typical Hollywood, but the self-awareness of this phenomenally goofy comedy sets it apart from its peers.

4/5 Stars

21 Jump Street

Directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller

Written by Michael Bacall, Jonah Hill

Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Dave Franco, Brie Larson