La Cage Aux Folles

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: October 25, 1978 (France) / March 30, 1979 (USA)

DVD Release Date: July 24, 2001

Plot 411: A young man asks his homosexual father to tone it down when he invites the soon-to-be in-laws over for dinner.

Review: Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and Albin (Michael Serrault) have been together for 20 years and have raised a son Laurent (Remi Laurent) together. When Laurent informs his father Renato of his impending marriage, both Renato and Albin are disappointed because they hoped he would marry a man instead of a woman. After the initial upset wears off, Laurent asks his father to hide his homosexuality and send Albin away for a few days because he would like to invite his fiancee's very conservative parents to dinner. This causes upheaval and hurt feelings, but eventually the ruse is carried out. There were moments of humor throughout the film but not enough for the continual laughfest that you would expect given the plot description. There were probably dozens of other stereotypical thing to mock in order to create more laughs, but they were not utilized. I suppose the film could be considered risque given the time in which it was made. However, these days the barrier is quite a bit further away and harder to reach. Most of the shocking scenes aren't really surprising anymore. The movie is dated and doesn't really survive the passage of time.

Watch It: For laughs created by the discrepancy between the dubbed-in voices and the subtitles. They are probably funnier than all the jokes in the movie combined.

Skip It: In favor of its remake The Birdcage, which just seemed funnier.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

Rating: PG

Movie Release Date: September 18, 2009

DVD Release Date: TBD

Plot 411: Flint's inventions have always gotten him in trouble, but his latest creation makes him famous.

Review: Flint (Bill Hader) has been an inventor his entire life. Like most inventors, he hasn't found much success with his inventions. But with his mother's words of support ringing in his ears, he ventures onward. When one of his inventions goes awry and turns clouds into food, it starts to rain every kind of food imaginable. At first it helps his town and creates a sensation. However, soon the food portions get bigger and bigger and becomes hazardous to everyone's health. Flint must shut his invention down before it consumes everyone. This was quite an enjoyable movie that dealt with the effects of poor eating habits on society in a not-so-subtle way. It reminded me of Wall-E a bit but wasn't as clever. It also dealt with one's identity and the hardship that sometimes accompanies being different from everyone else. The cast was pretty diverse and included: Bruce Campbell, the town's mayor; Mr. T, a police officer; James Caan, Flint's dad; Anna Faris, a weathergirl; and Andy Samberg; a child star.

Watch It: For a smorgasbord of a good time.

Skip It: If you're looking for a more high-brow animation such as Wall-E

Rising Son: The Legend Of Skateboarder Christian Hosoi

Rating: Not Rated

Movie Release Date: Not available

DVD Release Date: November 14, 2006

Plot 411: Documentary about the ups and downs in the life of skateboarding phenom Christian Hosoi.

Review: In this doc narrated by Dennis Hopper, we explore the fast-paced life of Christian Hosoi. In the early '80s, Hosoi shot to stardom because of his natural gift for skateboarding and his charismatic personality. He was innovative and excelled in contests. He knew how to work the media and market himself and his companies to maximum profit. However, he also had a zen-like attitude toward money and believed that it was transitory and not the main meaning of life. His lifestyle grew more and more extravagant and skating took him across the world. He partied like a rock star with rock stars and actors and all of Hollwood. He was the "it" man of the '80s. When skating trends began to change, he wasn't able to cope and fell into drugs. He was eventually incarcerated for possession of crystal meth with an intent to sell. He served part of his time, found God in the process and was released early. If you're a skate fan, this is an intriguing look into the world of one of the originators. This era follows up the Dogtown and Z-Boys generation, and it's cool to see how the sport is progressing. Hosoi had a massive influence on thousands of skaters that came after him. The doc is filled with testimonies from world-class skaters, like Tony Hawk, and even some actors like David Arquette and Jason Lee. It also shows a bit about his early family life and the influence his dad had on him. His dad is from Hawaii and met his mom in the islands while in college.

Watch It: For a bit of skating history and a look at the cost of fame.

Skip It: If you haven't seen the Dogtown and Z-Boys doc yet. Some of the same people are in this film.