Summer Family Films:
Sinbad; Legally Blonde 2:
Red, White & Blonde
by Jan Aaron
DreamWorks’ “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas,” loosely
follows the adventures of the notorious Arabian sailor-thief
born over one thousand years ago in “The Arabian Nights.” To
tell their new animated tale, writer John Logan, (co-writer
of the Oscar-winning “Gladiator,”) and directors
Tim Johnson (“Antz”) and Patrick Gilmore, let their
imaginations drift to different Roman and Greek mythologies
for themes and add a dash of romance to their seafaring saga.
The film is a blend of 2-D and 3-D animations. Adults accompanying
kids will find this an enjoyable sit-through.
In a nutshell: the adventure starts
when Eris (voiced by Michelle Pfeiffer), the delightfully
slithery goddess of discord steals the “Book of Peace” and pins her heist on Sinbad
(a hip voiced Brad Pitt). Sailing away to prove he is innocent
and save the life of his best friend Proteus (voiced by Joseph
Fiennes), Sinbad must travel to the realm where Eris resides,
a fearful place where no one has been before. At first, he
thinks of just sailing to Fiji. But, Proteus’ beautiful
girlfriend, Marina (Catherine Zeta-Jones) stows away to make
sure Sinbad fulfills his mission.
In Eris’ land, he and spunky Marina defeat all the nifty
monsters—most fearsome is a mammoth swooping bird of
snow and ice—but problems persist. Sinbad still must
deal with the effects of Eris’ golden “Apple of
Discord,” which turns friends into enemies when thrown
into their midst. Does Sinbad break the spell and save his
friend? See the film. (83 minutes, PG).
Tuck the kids in and take in “Legally Blonde 2: Red,
White & Blonde” where pink loving Harvard law-grad
Elle Woods, (the incomparable Reese Witherspoon) goes to Washington.
There she turns her legal and fashion smarts on the DC establishment
on behalf of animal rights and learns what it takes to get
her legislation—legislated with the help of veteran comedian
Bob Newhart as Sid, the doorman. Sally Field is fine as Representative
Rudd who might have compromised her own liberal ideals. Surprisingly
sharp! (PG-13; 95 minutes)#
Call 777-Film for timings for both
movies.
