Cars

I missed the chance to take my kids to see CARS in the theater - I was out of the country at the time. We caught up with it last week and, while it isn't the best movie Pixar has ever done (that honor goes to THE INCREDIBLES, which is one of the best movies ever), it's better than every other animated feature released this year.

The movie follows your basic 'hotshot from the city learns a thing or two while stuck in the country' format. It's reasonably funny and reasonably compelling, but it's technically astounding. From sunlight through dust to falling water to cars bouncing on old axles, CARS is a masterpiece of animation. It's simply beautiful to watch, and I take my hat off to all those at Pixar who helped make this happen.

So, I'm saying to rent CARS. You'll like it, your kids will love it, and you'll all be dazzled by it. Enjoy.

The Santa Clause

How can anyone dislike THE SANTA CLAUSE? It has a cheerful story, it's easy to follow for even the youngest viewers, and it has enough of a sense of fun to keep young and old hooked for its brisk running time.

In THE SANTA CLAUSE, Tim Allen plays, well, Tim Allen. This time, he's a divorced dad trying to do right by his son and not feel too threatened by his ex-wife's new husband. On Christmas Eve, Santa falls off Tim's roof and disappears, leaving only his suit behind. Time grabs the suit, stumbles into Santa's sleigh, and he's off and running as the new Santa Claus. Of course, there are all kinds of issues, including custody battles, as he adjusts to his new life, but everything's pretty mild, the kids stay hooked, and everyone goes home happy.

In short, THE SANTA CLAUSE is pablum. It's tasty pablum, however, and just thing to have in the background this Christmas season.

Superman Returns

Here's the problem with SUPERMAN RETURNS: Superman has no character arc. He's the same guy at the end of the movie that he was at the beginning, and that lack of an arc leaves a hole where we expect a story.

Sure, SUPERMAN RETURNS has other issues: it feels unoriginal, its lead gives the impresssion of a guy doing a Christover Reeve impression, and we never sense that its protagonist is in any real danger. Those don't break the deal, however. Superman's lack of a journey, and the insignificant journeys of those around him, do. You cannot tell a story without character development and call it a story. You can call it a sketch, you can even call it an experiment, you can even call it late for dinner. But you can't call it a story.

I wanted to like SUPERMAN RETURNS. I really did. But the movie failed to hook or hold me, and I don't intend to see it again. Bummer.

Rocky Balboa

I took the whole family, +1, to ROCKY BALBOA. The +1 was my college roommate, and we entertained each other with ROCKY trivia prior to the show. OK, so I know enough about the ROCKY franchise to engage in a trivia battle. Additionally, I celebrated my older boy's first birthday with a ROCKY marathon and intend to do the same for my younger boy (Go, gender-role indoctrination!). In other words, I'm ROCKY BALBOA's target demographic. And I loved it.

From Bill Conti's classic music to Rocky's humble wisdom to a training montage that's the best I've seen since ROCKY III, ROCKY BALBOA delivers everything the hardcore fan could want. The real surprise lies in the film's appeal to the casual fan: one of the fun parts of this Christmas has been watching DB trying to convince her skeptical sisters that this is one movie they should see in the theater.

Here's the setup: Rocky is doing ok. He's a beloved Philadelphia sports figure; he owns a retaurant that, if not bustling, appears to be making the rent; and he's maintained his relationships with Paulie and his son (though the son is trying to pull away). Sadly, however, he feels empty. His beloved Adrian has passed away a few years earlier, he's not as close as he'd like with his son, and he feels like he's just going through the motions. What he really misses, even though he doesn't yet realize he misses it, is boxing. Events conspire to renew his interest in getting back into the sport, and it isn't long until that great montage is upon us.

ROCKY BALBOA uses that setup to give us a meditation on dignity, perseverance, and age. It gives us a Rocky who understands that life isn't about how hard you can punch, but how many punches you can take and keep on going. This Rocky may be the world's dumbest sage, but a sage he is as he inspires those around him to listen to their best selves, to stand as tall as they can, and to keep coming back. Rocky embodies these principles with a doggedness, humility, and grace that speaks to the theatrical audience as clearly as he does to his own fictional audiences. You can't not identify with this character. You can't not want to emulate this character. And you can't not cheer for this character even as he climbs into the ring for what you're certain will be a fatal match against an opponent so clearly superior that you need to forcibly suspend your disbelief to even accept that anyone would let the bout take place.

Sure, ROCKY BALBOA has its flaws. The movie sets up character arcs for Rocky's opponent and for a local tough on which it never capitalizes. Rocky's relationship with his son feels rushed and incomplete. And I could've used more drama in the actual fight. But I'm picking nits, here. ROCKY BALBOA is as good as ROCKY movies get, and that can be very good, indeed.

What a pleasant surprise.