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What Hollywood has in store for you
By Dick Rolfe
Hollywood has been lamenting for the past several months
that attendance at the movie theaters is down significantly.
Pundits are offering advice from every point of view. Some
experts blame television; others say its video games, or the
Internet, or even the weather.
There
are film critics who say the poor turnout at the box office
is because there have been no “decent” films released
lately. When I first read these comments, I thought, “At
last, someone gets it! These critics realize there is a
desire for more wholesome, family-friendly movies.” Upon
further examination, however, I discovered that they were
not complaining about indecent content, such as sex,
violence and profanity, but about the overall quality of
this year’s movies. “Not enough blockbusters,” they
lamented.
Their observation is partly correct. “Star
Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith” ($380
million - USA box office) was the only blockbuster this year
that came close to the huge numbers of 2004 mega-hits “The
Passion of the Christ” ($370 million), Spider-Man II ($373
million), and “Shrek II ($437 million).” All of these
movies, except “The Passion,” are Dove-approved.
So far
this year, Dove awarded its Family-Approved Seal to 25 out
of 105 movies that have been
reviewed. Some of the more memorable 2005 titles recommended
for family members of all ages include live action titles
like, “Because of Winn Dixie,” “Ice Princess,” “Herbie;
Fully Loaded,” “Sky High,” “The Adventures of Sharkboy and
Lavagirl,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” Animated
movies were also well represented with, “Robots,”
“Madagascar,” and “Valiant.” The list would not be complete
unless we added the wondrous nature special, “March of the
Penguins,”
Even adults had an opportunity to enjoy action-adventure
movie,
“Sahara,” starring Matthew McConaughey and Penélope Cruz,
and comedies like “Rebound,” starring comic Martin Lawrence,
and “Miss Congeniality; Armed and Dangerous,” the sequel
with Sandra Bullock. Coming of age film, “Sisterhood of the
Traveling Pants,” starring Amber Tamblyn also won Dove
approval for older audiences.
While it is always difficult to speculate, the fall and
winter lineup contains some encouraging possibilities, and
also some real questions.
There
is a great buzz of anticipation for the much-publicized
movie based on book two of C.S. Lewis’ collection of
Christian allegories, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion,
The Witch and the Wardrobe.” This co-venture between Walden
Media and Walt Disney guarantees the financial legs to
produce a truly wondrous fantasy that could make it the
runaway mega-hit everyone hopes for. The big question is how
the violence will be portrayed. Many, including the Dove
review board, felt that the recent series based on
J.R.R.
Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” was too
violent for the family audience. We hope that “Narnia” is
being filmed with viewers of every age in mind.
Beyond
“Narnia,” there are only a few tasty prospects for the
family diet. However, none of these films have been reviewed
yet. Always check Dove’s reviews at
www.dove.org before you go see any movie.
“Cheaper by the Dozen 2” opens on December 21st.
The Baker family returns to the screen in this sequel
starring Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. The first installment
of this classic comedy was approved for all ages. Director
and Executive Producer, Adam Shankman, new to this project,
has an impressive track record with some good, physical
comedies, like “George of the Jungle,” “Inspector Gadget”
and “Blast from the Past.” However, Adam directed “Bringing
down the House,” also starring Steve Martin, which missed
Dove approval due to sexual situations, drug and alcohol
use, and rough language. I expect that Twentieth Century
Fox will target the same family audience that made the first
installment of “Cheaper by the Dozen” so successful.
Then,
there is “Oliver Twist,” an adaptation of the classic
Dickens tale, where an orphan meets a pickpocket on the
streets of London. This well-known tale has been filmed as
the musical “Oliver” and as a drama. This latest version
will be worth approaching with caution for two reasons;
first because the story contains some violence and language
that could be over the top. The second reason is that it is
produced and directed by
Roman
Polanski, not normally associated with
family-friendly fare. In fact, Polanski has never made a
Dove-approved movie to-date.
“Happily N’Ever After,” an animated retelling of several
Grimm's fairy tales will open December 31st. You
remember Cinderella, The Frog King, Hansel and Grethel and
Little Briar-Rose? What could anyone possibly do to harm
these oft-told fairly tales? Well, maybe nothing, but I am
somewhat skeptical of this movie because of the
choice of cast voices: Sigourney Weaver, Sarah Michelle
Gelar, Freddie Prinze Jr. and George Carlin. Add to that the
relative inexperience of director, Paul Bolger and writer,
Robert Moreland and an unknown animation company, BFC
Berliner Film Companie from Denmark, and you end up with a
big question mark.
So,
there you have it; very few choices for the rest of the
year, and some of them dubious. Stay tuned to Hollywood
Uplink and
www.dove.org for the latest updates on the rest of the
2005 films coming to a theater near you.
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• The Dove Foundation
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