Puss in Boots

While Shrek's finally hit retirement, one of his supporting stars hasn't. It just so happens to be Puss in Boots, the Zorro-esque kitty cat voiced for four films straight by Antonio Banderas. The fourth, also called Puss in Boots, is here and it's in 3D. And no, I didn't see it in 3D.

Long before meeting that ogre guy, Puss was a champion of the innocent. And then his adoptive brother Humpty Dumpty betrayed him, turning Puss into an outlaw. Years later, Puss is coerced by a fellow feline named Kitty Softpaws into working with her and Humpty. Their mission, which Puss accepts, is to go after the outlaws Jack and Jill, who hold some magic beans. Only with those magic beans can they reach the castle in the sky and the Golden Goose who lives there.

Sounds easy. Of course, it actually isn't.

This is what happens when a spin-off prequel film is done right. Not bound by its predecessors, this film has its own sense of humor and fun. Even the Zorro spoofing Puss does is fresh and original with this new adventure. Then again, Puss was the best part of the last Shrek film, Shrek Forever After.

Even without the 3D, the film's effects are quite good. Seeing the beanstalk grow, and how it grew, was simply the highlight of the flatscreen experience. Other standout scenes include Puss's rooftop dash and his "Dance Fight" with Kitty Softpaws. So, whether or not you want to see it in 3D once again depends on if you want to see it in 3D.

If the filmmakers keep the freshness, then Puss's likely next adventures'll be as fun as this one. It really is a good start to the Holiday film season. And it's good that the Holidays came early.

The Three Musketeers

A full decade after their now forgotten last cinema adventure, The Three Musketeers have once again made their way to movie screens. And this time, they're in 3D, which is how I viewed their Saturday Morning Serial escapades.

Once again, we have D'Artangan, the young heroic head out into the city to join the Musketeers. The Three Musketeers, who are Athos, Porthos and Aramis, have been forced to retire due to the scheming of the evil Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu and his henchmen, Milady de Winter and the Duke of Buckingham scheme to take over France by getting it to war with England. And so, our heroes must take up arms to save the day.

Oh yeah, and there's also flying ships and plenty of dangerous traps to navigate through. Plenty of ways to use the 3D format.

Having previously started such film franchises as Resident Evil, director Paul W.S. Anderson hopes to start another one by way of this literary interpretation. It clearly sets up another one, so should you wait for it? Maybe.

Its highest point is that it's visually impressive. Costumes, sets (both real and digital) and of course, the visual effects are very well done. Even the 3D rendering is quite nice, which should be a welcome change if anyone's been to one too many slack-off 3D efforts.

Its lowest point, though, is that it throws so much at you, but not much sticks. In other words, it's another film that's great for a Saturday matinee, but for any other time, its strictly optional. Still, there are a few performances in the cast that are fun to watch. Among them are James Corden as the Musketeers' servant Planchet and Orlando Bloom as the supremely snide Duke of Buckingham. So, that afternoon isn't really wasted in the end.

Whether you choose to see it in 3D or flatscreen, that's your decision. Or if you want to use your afternoon some other way. But if you do see it, be prepared for a decent time at the movies.

The Ides of March

No, The Ides of March has nothing to do with Julius Caesar, the person or the Shakespeare play. Speaking of Shakespeare, he's the focus of Anonymous, but that's later this month and The Ides of March is now.

I know, it's October, but still...

In his fourth time as director, George Clooney's joined forces with co-writer Grant Heslov and playwright Beau Willimon in turning the latter's play Farragut North into a cinema piece.

Clooney is also Mike Morris, governor of Pennsylvania running to be the Democratic Candidate for President. Helping to run the campaign is Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). Meyers believes he can run a fair, clean campaign because Morris is fair and clean. Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), the other guy's campaign manager, offers Meyers a spot on that campaign. This sets off a chain of events that will kill Meyers' optimism.

So class, what do we learn in this civics class? Well, it does say that fair, clean politics are not only dead, but have never existed. But I bet you knew that. It's on the news every night.

But then again, it's the cast that makes this hard lesson fresh. Together, they make up an impressive ensemble of characters neither shady nor honest. As Meyers, Gosling's performance capably guides the audience through the story as his optimism cracks. He and his co-stars perform so well that this doesn't stand out as a stage play on film.

It starts off slow, but once The Ides of March roll in, it can get capably tense. This is one Civics Class that you'd want to keep attention to.

Real Steel

Because plain old Steel apparently wouldn't cut it, the semi-film version of Richard Matheson's short story of the same name is Real Steel. This is a film that cuts it.

About a decade into the future, human boxers are now extinct. These days, prize fights are waged by super duper robots. Charlie (Hugh Jackman), a one time boxer, now makes a living maintaining his own Rock'em Sock'em robot. But he can't really maintain a decent relationship with his son Max (Dakota Goyo), who's now in his custody.

After his best bot Ambush and then his replacement Noisy Boy fall in battle, Charlie's left without a living. So Charlie and Max go to the scrap yard to find a replacement. They find Atom, a robot that fights by shadowboxing. After much persuasion, Charlie lets Max take Atom on the Robot Fighting Circuit against the biggest bruisers ever built. But how long until they really get in over their heads?

Yes, there's fighting robots, but there's also people here. Among them there's Jackman and Goyo, who are perfectly abrasive and still likeable. And then there's Kevin Durand, who plays the perfectly unlikeable human villain Ricky. These humans do some fine work here because they aren't swamped by the visual effects.

Then again, the visual effects are still great. Particularly because these robots are part motion capture, part animatronic and both versions blend into the environment. When these robots fight, it's just as exciting and comprehensible as any boxing film.

It's fun all the way, even if it slightly drags to just over two hours. Still, it's better than pushing three and that's a plus in its corner. And in its corner is a winner.