WALL-E Packs A Real Wallop for Grown-Ups.

Like a gazillion other Americans trying to beat the heat this weekend (and in our case, the smoke from the Big Sur wildfires), I had to go see the latest Pixar mechanical-marvel, WALL-E. The critically praised film is now a box office wonder as well, with domestic grosses of $103,876,000 a mere 8 days after release.

I knew I would fall madly in love with the 2008 version of E.T. and R2D2, all digi-designed into one heart-rending creature who babbled adorably electronic coos, blips and bleeps. I also knew I would love the sweetly weird love story between the cutely-clunky WALL-E and ever-so-estro-oval EVE.

But what I didn’t expect was the absolute wallop of its powerful environmental message, delivered by a chilling look at what passes for humankind 800 years in the future. Not only did I want to sprint out of the theater and head for the closest treadmill but I also wanted to crush any cup in the vicinity.

And then there were my feet. I wanted to rush out and buy new shoes, simply to reassure myself that I still wear them.

I am fantasizing a dream triple bill at my local theater:

WALL-E
An Inconvenient Truth

From The Droolworthy to the Dreck: Guess Where Zohan Fits?

If you read this blog, you know that I tend to ignore the Pundits in almost any field — but especially in the movie business. I am still chuckling over the way they blew SATC, which in Week 2, has femme-powered its way to just under $100 million domestic.

Then there’s The Zohan.

It seemed like the perfect evening for a silly summer movie. The Guru’s Crew has enormous tolerance for the relentlessly ridiculous, giggle-goofy flick. We love Jud Apatow, especially when no one else does. (Forgetting Sarah Marshall.) In fact, more than one of us has a long history of rushing to anything panned by the New York Times.  And if the movie is considered dreck by Rex Reed, then it’s full speed ahead and maybe Fandango it, just in case. So though we’d been warned, we still headed defiantly to this latest Adam Sandler comedy.

Apparently, we weren’t alone.  Zohan managed to kick up more than $38 million in weekend 1. 

Although there is the occasional funny bit in The Zohan and a couple of trippy cameos,  the humor is feeble indeed. In fact, it’s feeble enough that its subject matter — the Middle East does Manhattan –is not even genuinely offensive. It’s mostly embarrassing.

The Love Guru, Mike Myers’ new flick opening June 20th, also seems a bit tired and forced.  At least judging by the response of the audience during the previews. The Verne Troyer scenes, like the bizarre Mariah Carey scenes in Zohan, appear to fall flat. (Pun intended.)