Alvin and the Chipmunks: The trailer made this film seem groanworthy, but the actuality of the film is actually significantly better than it looks. It's a nice little kids' movie, and if you give it a chance, you may just remember why you watched their cartoon in the 80s. Or the 60s. Or both.
Somewhat interesting is the fact that they hired famous people to play the Chipmunks (Justin Long is Alvin, Jesse McCartney is Theodore and Matthew Gray Gubler of Criminal Minds is Simon) only to speed their voices up beyond recognition. Jason Lee, though, is highly recognizable (read the interview with him) as the hapless Dave Seville, and so is David Cross, as nefarious record exec Ian Hawk, who tries to steal the Chipmunks away from Dave. No idea what a counterculture figure like Cross is doing in this movie, but everybody needs cash.
What one tends to forget when thinking about eerie looking CG critters and forming unsavory associations to the Garfield movies sight unseen is that the Chipmunks didn't start out as cartoon characters. They started out because a guy named Ross in the 50s thought it was funny to make a song called "Witch Doctor" and have the chorus be sped-up catchy gibberish. Oo-ee oo-aah-aah ting-tang walla-walla-bing-bang. Then came The Christmas Song, where the voices actually got personalities and became chipmunks, and over the decades, they've morphed along with The Style At The Time. This is why the hip-hoppy remix of "Witch Doctor" is reasonable, and why the Chipmunks wear Puff Daddy clothes for performances (not without complaint). The soundtrack is insanely catchy. Listen to "Coast 2 Coast" if you don't believe me.
Despite what the trailer might make you think, there's only one fart joke and one poop joke in the movie, and the rest is pretty well clean family fun-times with singing cartoon rodents that will have kids grooving in the aisles. I know. I saw it happen.
I Am Legend: Mediocre reviews and Will Smith spoiling the secrets have dampened the buzz on this film a bit, but it should still be compelling to see Dr. Fresh Prince, Scientist, wander around a deserted New York City with his dog and fight zombie/vampire monsters. It'll open huge.
The Perfect Holiday: Queen Latifah serves as the mystical narrator for a story about a mall Santa (Morris Chestnut) trying to woo a hip-hop star's ex-wife (Gabrielle Union) and win over her crazy children during the holidays. Is it too bad a pun to say that Morris Chestnut should always do Christmas movies and have a scene in which he's roasting over an open fire? In the comedy hot-foot Home Alone style that this movie's in, not the evil burned alive way. See, Chestnut's roasting over an open - ah, forget it.
