The Green Hornet

It was in 1936 when The Green Hornet, created by the same duo that did The Lone Ranger, buzzed onto his own radio show. And now in 2011, with a script by the same duo that did Superbad, this proto-superhero finally has his own big screen adventure.

As one of the co-writers, Seth Rogen gives himself the part of Britt Reid, slacker son of strict newsman James (Tom Wilkinson). When Reid Sr. is found dead, supposedly from a bee sting, Britt finds himself in the awkward position as head of his father’s newspaper. He does, however, find himself a friend in Kato (Jay Chou), James’s former assistant and a full-time inventor.

On a whim, Britt suggests to Kato that they should fight crime together while posing as villains. And thus, the duo of The Green Hornet and Kato make their public debut. It’s all fun for them until they get on the nerves of crime boss Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz). But if he doesn’t kill their partnership, then Britt’s childish attitude might do the job.

Its director is Michel Gondry, best known for such surreal fare as his Oscar winner Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. This has got to be his bluntest film to date. Just about anything that can get smashed, including Britt’s own newspaper, gets smashed in spectacular fashion. Explosions come aplenty, and add flying bullets and some car chases, and you’ve got the year’s first summer blockbuster.

Aside from the explosions, the un-dynamic duo of the picture is a highlight. As Britt, Rogen makes for a perfectly childish, albeit too childish at times, anti-hero, while Chou’s Kato is the excellent straight man. It’s these two that definitely make the film worth it. Amongst the supporting cast, the best is the cameo by an uncredited James Franco as a hapless crime boss.

So what’s the final buzz on The Green Hornet? It may not be as gravely serious as The Dark Knight, but for its take on the super zero, it’s certainly refreshing.

Jethro’s Note: It’s yet another film that got converted into an optional 3D ride as an afterthought, although the decision was made almost nine months ago (The Last Airbender and Clash of the Titans, meanwhile, were converted with a little more than two months notice).

The King's Speech

When the Oscar nominations are announced this Tuesday, The King’s Speech will be recognized a few times over. Having seen the film for myself, I can say that it not getting recognized’ll be a baffling shock.

It’s almost half-way through the film before Albert, Duke of York (Colin Firth) ascends to the English throne as King George VI. His public speaking attempts turn to public torture thanks to his lifelong stammer. So for now, he’s happy being the King of Nothing.

His wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) recruits speech therapist and failed actor Lionel Logue (Geofrrey Rush) to treat Albert’s problem. Albert, or “Bertie” as Logue insists on calling him, doesn’t appreciate the latter’s unconventional methods at first. That is, until his father George V (Michael Gambon) dies and his brother Edward VIII (Guy Pearce) abdicates in the name of love.

Its director is Tom Hooper, best known for the television miniseries John Adams. Under his direction, the three leads give out some fine performances. Rush especially is quite hilarious, while Firth is great as the struggling monarch. Amongst the other cast, Derek Jacobi’s performance as Archbishop Lang is a highlight.

It’s both hilarious and moving with some nice work from the production staff. It’s worth going to if you have the time for it. Well said? Yeah, if you say so.

JETHRO’S NOTE: The film is rated R for the sole reason of some naughty words Albert says during his therapy. Otherwise, the film is very tame.

Four Lions

And now, we have Four Lions, a nice little film about Islamic terrorists plotting mass murder in London. Wait! Don’t get me wrong! The film’s much better than it sounds.

The eponymous Four Lions are Omar (Riz Ahmed), Waj (Kayvan Novak), Barry (Nigel Lindsay) and Hassan (Arsher Ali), a group of Islamic terrorist wannabes in Sheffield. The keyword here is “wannabes,” a sharp indication that things are going to get silly.They want to carry out the cause of Jihad, but really, they have no clue about what they’re getting themselves into. It all comes to a head for all of them when they decide to blow up the London Marathon.

How clueless are they? Barry’s grand plan is to blow up, and take credit for, a mosque bombing to start a revolution. Their fifth member, Faisal (Adeel Akhtar), trips and blows himself up carrying explosives. And Omar and Waj can’t fire a rocket launcher the right way to save their lives. I can go on, but I won’t.

This film is to over-zealous fanaticism what Dr. Strangelove was to mutual-assured-destruction. In other words, it takes a very serious topic and brings it down with laughter. It’s something that director Chris Morris and his co-writers, all veterans of British TV satire, have done so well. It's certainly a movie worth looking at if you have the time.