FILM: Madea’s Neighbors From Hell
CAST: Jayna Brown, Cassi Davis, Rhonda Davis
DIRECTION: Tyler Perry
The tough-as-nails woman, Madea, is back in Neighbors From Hell.
Tyler Perry’s now iconic character first caught the attention of mainstream audiences in 2005 in the feature film Diary of a Mad Black Woman, which was an adaptation of his play by the same title.
Madea’s Neighbors From Hell brings audiences back to Madea’s Atlanta neighbourhood. Nosey, yet adorable, neighbourhood gossip extraordinaire Aunt Bam sees that a new family in moving into the vacant house adjacent to hers. The matriarch of the family, Ruth, enchants her, but Ruth’s rude foster children rub her the wrong way.
When Madea returns from vacation, Aunt Bam can’t wait to share the news. However, their chat is interrupted when Madea discovers that her home has been broken into. She accosts the children, whom she suspects are the culprits, but as she puts the pieces together she notices not everything is adding up to the picture of a safe, happy family inside Ruth’s home.
As Aunt Bam, Cassi Davis steals the show. Cassi Davis creates an annoyingly nosey neighbour that is equally delightful. As Madea, Tyler Perry gives audiences everything they would expect with that character. Rhonda Davis does an excellent job being cheerful and polite and terrifyingly brutal as Ruth.
Captivating action
FILM: Protector 2
CAST: Tony Jaa, Rza, Petchtai Wongkamlao
DIRECTION: Prachya Pinkaew
This Thai martial arts film is a sequel to director Prachya Pinkaew’s Tom-Yum-Goong (Protector), with actors Tony Jaa and Petchtai Wongkamlao reprising their roles as Kham and Mark from the first movie.
Kham (Tony Jaa) refuses to sell his elephant Khon to the trader, Suchart Vilawandei (Adinan Buntanaporn) who plans on transferring it to someone who works for the gangster LC (Rza).
Kham later finds Vilawandei dead at his home in Bangkok, and his two nieces, martial artists Ping-ping (Yanin “Jeeja” Vismitananda) and Sue-sue (Theerada Kittiseriprasert), think he is responsible.
While escaping from them, Kham meets his old friend Sergeant Mark (Mum Jokmok), who informs Kham about a terrorist plot to disrupt the Kantana peace talks in Bangkok
Martial arts films are never known for their particularly deep narratives and The Protector 2 is no exception.
Not that story much matters here (about halfway through, we gave up trying to figure out what was happening almost entirely), because the action set pieces are often captivating.
The first Protector had some amazing moments, with the action sometimes captured in long, serpentine tracking shots that seem to go on for minutes on end. The Protector 2 takes a choppier approach to the staging of some of the set pieces, but that oddly enough doesn’t lessen their impact. Jaa is an excellent martial artist whose intensity never seems to waver.
Knight dreams
FILM: Justin and the Knights of Valour (animation)
VOICES: Antonio Banderas, Freddie Highmore, Mark Strong, Rupert Everett
DIRECTION: Manuel Sicilia
Sweet-natured Justin dreams of becoming a knight just like his legendary grandfather, Sir Roland. However knights have been banished from the kingdom by the Queen and replaced by lawyers and their strict rules. But after an inspiring visit to his beloved Gran, Justin’s mission becomes clear. He bids farewell to his sweetheart Lara and embarks on the ultimate quest: to train to become a knight.
Along the way he meets the beautiful, but feisty Talia, a quirky wizard called Melquiades; the handsome, but misguided, Sir Clorex and upon reaching the Tower of Wisdom, is mentored by the three wise monks; Blucher, Legantir and Braulio.
However Justin soon learns that banished knight Sir Heraclio is putting together an army, with his faithful sidekick Sota, to overthrow the Queen and take over the kingdom. Justin must quickly rise to the challenge and find the courage to become the knight he truly wishes to be.
Seeking to match the comic pizzazz of such DreamWorks and Pixar hits as Shrek, Puss in Boots and Brave, Justin and the Knights of Valour falls short, despite the best efforts of a very game, mostly British, voice cast. As well as taking a voice role, Antonio Banderas is credited as a producer on this Spanish-made animation film. The Knights of Valour is a moderate fairytale fantasy, heavily influenced by Hollywood – specifically, the Shrek films.
Focus on family
FILM: Heaven is for Real
CAST: Greg Kinnear, Kelly Reilly, Thomas Haden Church, Connor Corum
DIRECTION: Randall Wallace
Heaven is for Real is based on the true story of a 4-year-old Nebraska boy who after major surgery tells his father that he’s been to heaven. Although there are immediate doubts, people begin to accept the story when the youngster reveals information he only could have been given by those who died before he was born.
His tale is inspirational for some and draws the wrath of others, who call it all a fabrication. That becomes a major source of tension in the film.
This story is fodder for countless debates. What should not be overlooked is the strong story of how a family must - along with this big event - deal with the normal hardships of life.
Director Randall Wallace manages to get a surprisingly good performance from 6-year-old Connor Corum. There’s a very natural feel to the way the youngster acts in scenes - especially when working with Greg Kinnear - that helps fortify the story.
The film is not without flaws. The biggest mistake in the script by Wallace and Chris Parker is the decision to actually show on film what the youngsters says he saw in Heaven. — The Fresno Bee/MCT
(DVDs courtesy: Saqr Entertainment Stores, Doha)