New Movie Friday

"The Hangover Part 2" - Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms
The sequel to 2009's SMASH HIT (highest grossing R-rated comedy ever), "Part 2" finds the boys reliving their nightmare, this time in Bangkok. "Hangover" made absolute stars out of these guys but "Part 2" plays out more like a paycheck film than anything else. And that's fine. You gotta pay the bills, after all. But there was never much doubt that this couldn't be as good (or original) as the first one. Having already seen it, my expectations were met: funny but not anywhere close to the level of the last one. Meh.

"Kung Fu Panda 2" - Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan
Another sequel to a big summer hit, "Panda" centers around Po (Black) and his Furious Five fighting a battle in China and discovering the secrets to Po's past. I quite liked the first "Panda" but didn't see it until it hit cable. I found it to be fun and at least half smart which is about all you can expect from a non-Pixar animated film these days. In some ways, I think it laid the groundwork for "How to Train Your Dragon" which is, for me, Dreamworks Animation's greatest achievement. I'm interested in seeing this but I imagine that, like its predecessor, I'll wait for a home viewing.

"Tree of Life" - Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain (limited)
According to IMDB, this centers around a man (Penn), his upbringing in the 50s, his relationship with his father (Pitt), and his search for the meaning of life. But given that this is a Terrence Malick film, there's really no telling what it's about until you've actually seen it and even then, you might be grasping at straws. Malick isn't my favorite director but there's no questioning his brilliance and his vision. He makes the films he wants to make and doesn't worry about making them accessible, which is part of his genius. The wide range of reviews and grades seems appropriate and I definitely hope I get a shot to see this before too long. Curse you, Limited Release!