Screening Room: Step Up Revolution, The Watch, The Dark Knight Rises
SHAWNWait a minute. “Step Up: Revolution” is fun. As a protest movie it’s silly. And the attempt at a love story is laughable. These young actors flat out can’t act. But the dancing is incredible. There are five huge flash mob scenes that are super enhanced by the spectacular 3D.
RUSS
“Step Up Revolution” features some creative choreography by Jamal Sims, but there is little else to recommend it. This is the perfect example of a movie that is best viewed on home video. If you’re interested in the dance sequences, you can skip through the amateurish, cornball dramatics in order to get to the good stuff.
RUSS: 2 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 3 Popcorn Bags
THE WATCH (R)
RUSS
Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade (eye-oh-WA-deh) star in the labored R-rated comedy, “The Watch.” It’s a raunchy science fiction spoof about members of a small town neighborhood watch committee who uncover evidence of an alien invasion.
SHAWN
This movie which was called “Neighborhood Watch” until the Trayvon Martin incident is offensively bad. But not because it disrespects the incidents of the highly publicized news story but because it’s juvenile, poorly written and un-entertaining to the core.
RUSS
It’s obvious that much of the dialogue was improvised. Maybe the actors realized what they’d gotten themselves into and were desperately trying to make something out of nothing. Director Akiva Schaffer has made funny digital shorts for Saturday Night Live, but “The Watch” just seems desperate. Bottom line? Don’t watch “The Watch.”
SHAWN
The movie seems lime a bad SNL skit. You can hear funnier jokes hanging out at an elementary school playground during recess. You can also see funnier stuff on YouTube. I feel like Ben Stiller stole my money and I saw this awful, tasteless and misguided movie for free.
RUSS: 2 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 0 Popcorn Bags
THE DARK KNIGHT RISES (R)
SHAWN
We didn’t air our review of “The Dark Knight Rises” last week due to the tragedy in Colorado. I found the movie brilliant but exhausting. Not as good as The Dark Knight but a solid conclusion to the trilogy.
RUSS
“The Dark Knight Rises” is as involving as it is gloomy. But it rises to the occasion as the best mainstream movie of the year so far.
RUSS: 5 Popcorn Bags
SHAWN: 5 Popcorn Bags
