Up & Coming Weekly

20 UCW MARCH 3 - 9, 2010 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM Technically speaking, The Wolfman (102 minutes) is entertaining enough. The major issue is with its length. Some theaters list the film as 125 minutes even though the final cut reduced the pro- jected time by 17 minutes. Even at 102 minutes, the film seems to run on endlessly. A good popcorn movie, and good action flick, should not ruin the fun by boring the audience. Unfortunately, that is just what happens here … and that leads to a very uneven film. After some preliminaries, cut to actor Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro). He travels to his ancestral manor home for the first time in years. Once there, he finds that his estranged father (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and brother's fian- cée (Emily Blunt) are preparing to bury his brother. Naturally, Talbot wants to go check out the body, despite the lack of modern mortuary and preservative chemicals. That works out about how you would expect. Of course Talbot thinks he is the prefect person to figure out the cir- cumstances of his brother's death; he may not be a detective, but he probably played one on stage at some point. His mad detective skills lead him straight to the most disenfranchised population around, the local gypsy camp. While at the camp he is attacked and bitten by a large canine. Soon after the attack, Inspector Francis Aberline (Hugo Weaving), chan- neling Sherlock Holmes AND Agent Smith shows up at the manor and pokes his nose around in a very accusatory fashion. To no one's surprise, Talbot Jr. soon turns into a wolf and is implicated in several murders. As a result, Daddy Talbot has no choice but to let the angry villagers take Jr. away to an asylum. Once at the asylum, the sadists in charge provide their patient with all the latest cognitive behavioral therapies. The audi- ence is treated to some nifty psychodrama in the form of some nicely done sur- real shots. All of this action-packed drama takes the film to its climax amidst increas- ingly bloody scenes. The final confrontation delivers on the slow build-up. Unfortunately, the well-done climax is spoiled by the sappy final scene. One way to cut the film down? Take out the dully unnecessary roman- tic subplot. The problem isn't with lead Benicio Del Toro, or even precisely with supporting actor Emily Blunt. The real issue rests with the chemistry (or lack thereof) between them. They don't play well off each, and while it is clear that they try really, really hard to make it work, it just wasn't hap- pening. Having said that, the film is not bad. It even entertains those who walk in seeking special effects and a gothic atmosphere. The Danny Elfman soundtrack isn't bad, and those with a good ear will be able to hear the influ- ence from Coppola's Dracula. The final product is good, not great. That is especially surprising con- sidering all the skill shown by Del Toro in his role, coupled with the ability of Hopkins to project his presence on screen. Perhaps the final product would improve if director Joe Johnston developed his edi- torial skills, and we can hope he attends a directing workshop or two before tackling the new Captain America movie. Entertaining Fluff Overstays Its Welcome The Wolfman (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer COMMENTS? 484-6200 ext. 222 or editor@upandcomingweekly.com Recommended for children 6 and up American Girl Fashion Show is licensed from American Girl Programs, Inc. All American Girl trademarks, names, and characters are trademarks of American Girl, LLC, used under license. All rights reserved. Hosted by The Child Advocacy Center of Fayetteville To benefit Child Abuse Prevention & Outreach Programs Saturday, March 20, 2010 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 7 p.m. Sunday, March 21, 2010 3 p.m. Location Crown Center Ballroom &ROLVHXP'ULYH‡)D\HWWHYLOOH1& Tickets: $30 )RUPRUHLQIRUPDWLRQYLVLW ZZZFKLOGDGYRFDF\FHQWHUFRP RUFDOO g 20, 7 p.m 21, 2010 Locatio wn Cen H‡)D\HWWH 30 LRQYLVLW FHQWHUFR 2 er Ballroom OOH1& Y Presenting Sponsor: %HWK6FRWW3HUU\2ZQHUV RI)DWKHDG(QWHUWDLQPHQW Gold Sponsors: &DSH)HDU3DUHQW :LOOLDPV3ULQWLQJ2I¿FH 6XSSO\ Silver Sponsors: %DQNRI$PHULFD0HUULOO /\QFK 'U-0LFKDHO5XII 3HULRGRQWLFV,PSODQWV 2QFH8SRQ$&KLOG 8S&RPLQJ:HHNO\ Pink Sponsors: $OZD\V)ORZHUV &DQDG\¶V7HUPLWH3HVW &RQWURO &DYLQHVV/DQG'HYHORS PHQW0LFKHOOH:DWVRQ &DYLQHVV &URZQ7URSK\ Special thank you to our generous sponsors: Join hands with the Child Advocacy Center and Fayetteville Cares to donate tickets to families of deployed and fallen soldiers. Visit www.childadvocacycenter.com to learn more. ;7+1)4 ;-+=:1

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