Shirley Hughes
How to Train Your Dragon
2010 (Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois) PG, 98 min
Starring: America Ferrera, Craig Ferguson, Gerard Butler, Jay Baruchel
The Nordic town of Berk has a bit of a pest problem. No, it isn’t rats…it isn’t mosquitoes…heck, it isn’t even slack-jawed teenagers hanging out at the market place. It be dragons-sheep stealing, fire-breathing varmints. So when a klutzy young Viking named Hiccup gets rejected by the townsfolk, including his father, in his desire to help hunt them down, he decides to take matters into his own inventive hands. He downs one but in doing so discovers his softer Viking side and befriends him instead. Their odd friendship blossoms and their adventures open both their eyes to the ignorance on both sides. The action and beauty of every shot in this film combined with stunning effects continues in the fine tradition of pure animated movie magic.
-Shirley HughesWatch the Trailer
A Thousand Laughs: The Forgotten Clowns of Silent Comedy
, min
Starring: Charley Chase, Fatty Arbuckle, Larry Semon, Lloyd Hamilton, Oliver Hardy, Snub Pollard, Stan Laurel
The golden age of silent comedy created some of the funniest movies ever made by some of the greatest comedians ever born. Wild, innovative, jumping back and forth effortlessly between absurdities, they slapsticked their way into the hearts of millions. This is a celebration of the forgotten mirth makers in six high-spirited shorts. Introduced by Chris Seguin and with live piano accompaniment by Andrei Streliaev.
-Shirley HughesZombieland
2009 (Ruben Fleischer) 14A, 88 min
Starring: Emma Stone, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson
“Welcome to the United States of Zombieland,” and so starts this zom-com romping road trip. Dorky Columbus (Eisenberg of Adventureland) is afraid of just about everything from being alone in bathrooms to clowns (but aren’t we all). So what’s a dork to do when those pesky zombies overrun the Earth? He writes a long list of safety rules including such stellar items as “don’t be a hero” and “always look in the back seat” to keep him from joining the lumbering horde. On his travels he meets up with his exact opposite, the badass, AK-toting Tallahassee (Harrelson, having way too much fun), a self-proclaimed zombie killing machine just out to find a decent Twinkie. As on all zombie road trips, they are eventually joined by two savvy sisters who find inventive ways to stay alive on their quest to find a theme park they remember from childhood. A thoroughly enjoyable weirdo cinematic experience with just the right brand of cheesiness. Remember — loads of zombies equal loads of fun.
-Shirley HughesWatch the Trailer
Up
2009 (Bob Peterson, Pete Docter) PG, 96 min
Starring: Christopher Plummer, Ed Asner
Pixar had a hard act to follow with the incredible Wall-E. They had figured out what people want -interesting characters, inventive, and finely crafted scripts, with vivid imagery and great story lines anchoring everything. The stunning Up delivers it all and more. The emotion in the first 10 minutes, where a hankie would not be out of order, shows yet again the power animation can offer to young and old. Curmudgeon widower Carl Fredriksen, about to be carted off to an old age home, decides to escape his fate and fulfill a life-long dream to see the South American wilderness. And as everyone knows, traveling with the comforts of home is better, so what could be more logical than taking your home with you? Hitching his house to giant balloons, he soars away into the blue, free at last. Well, sort of. Super keen to get his helping-the-elderly badge, 8-year-old Russell stows away. They form a truly odd couple throughout their gut-bustingly hilarious adventures with talking dogs, evil villains and a bird called Kevin. The big screen is the only place to fly on this magical tour.
-Shirley HughesWatch the Trailer
