‘Lemony Snicket’s’ missing the magic, sense of danger

In theaters

LEMONY SNICKET’S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, directed by Brad Silberling, written by Robert Gordon, based on Daniel Handler’s books, 108 minutes, rated PG.

The best scenes in Brad Silberling’s “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” revolve around Meryl Streep’s Aunt Josephine, a once fearless woman who has, in her widowhood, become unreasonably fearful of all that surrounds her.

To the orphaned Baudelaire children – Klaus (Liam Aiken), Violet (Emily Browning) and toddler Sunny (Shelby and Kara Hoffman) – Aunt Josephine may be a bit weird given her unfounded fear of Realtors and her penchant for launching into paranoiac outbursts (“Watch the chandelier, children! If it falls, it will impale you!” “Come away from the refrigerator, darlings! If it falls, it will crush you flat!” “Watch out for those avocados! The pit could become lodged in your throats!”)

Still, when it comes to finding a proper guardian willing to take them in, the Baudelaire children would take Aunt Josephine any day over the awful alternative, Count Olaf (Jim Carrey).

Evil and mincing, his body bent into harsh, ugly angles, this gruesome beast isn’t interested in loving these children or rearing them. He’s only interested in the wealth they inherited when their parents died in the fire that mysteriously consumed their mansion.

What’s to become of the Baudelaires once Olaf has their fortune? Let’s just say he won’t be needing them, something Klaus, Violet and Sunny sense with growing dread as the story unfolds.

The film, which screenwriter Robert Gordon based on Daniel Handler’s popular series of grim children’s books, is lavishly produced and heavily stylized, a “Harry Potter” hopeful narrated by Jude Law, who is seen here only in silhouette. The movie remains true to its title. A series of unfortunate events do indeed befall these tots, with a few individual scenes so well produced, they’re on par with anything in the Potter movies.

But “Lemony Snicket,” as a whole, falls short of the Potter movies. Gone missing is the magic. The movie’s self-conscious narration doesn’t allow for a seamless slip into Handler’s dark, dreary world; you feel as if you have been shoehorned into it, not transported, as you do in “Harry.”

Also missing is the depth of character achieved in the Potter movies. The child actors in “Lemony” are fine, but their characters aren’t especially memorable, with the exception of Sunny, whose ferocious bite and witty bon mots, revealed in title cards, allow her to take shape in the gloom. Otherwise, this is an unremarkable crowd, the lot of which have nothing on the lively spunk of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Carrey also is a problem. His performance predictably favors camp, which prevents the movie from achieving the real chill it needed to be significant.

His Olaf is too much of a buffoon to be scary, too often going for laughs when a shot of real menace would have deepened the movie with the sense of peril it needed to succeed.

Grade: B-

On video and DVD

DE-LOVELY, directed by Irwin Winkler, written by Jay Cocks, 125 minutes, rated PG-13.

In “De-Lovely,” the entertaining, often salacious period musical that chronicles the highs and lows of Cole Porter’s life, it’s the complexity of being Cole Porter that director Irwin Winkler and screenwriter Jay Cocks work to get right.

Porter, who dominated the early to mid-20th century music scene with his stunning catalog of songs, is viewed here as a wealthy, self-destructive, bon vivant bisexual, with a clear interest in exploring his homosexual leanings.

As played by Kevin Kline in a jaunty, anything goes performance, he did so, too, with an openness and an enthusiasm that eventually put a strain on his 35-year marriage to his wife, Linda Thomas (Ashley Judd).

As Porter, Kline may be too good looking for the part, but his performance nevertheless persuades you to believe he’s the man. He has Porter’s wit, complexity and sophistication. He also sings here, nicely, as does Judd, who possesses the very spark that likely proved the inspiration for many of Porter’s songs.

In the end, it’s Winkler’s willingness to explore Porter’s sexuality that marks “De-Lovely” as a departure from the slight 1946 biopic of his life, “Night for Day,” in which Cary Grant’s Porter didn’t give a hint of the composer’s real sexual inclinations.

Whereas that movie was a cover-up, this one tosses back the sheets and allows us a glimpse at what occurred beneath them. In spite of the film’s awkward, gimmicky structure – an elderly, dying Porter viewing his life in a sort of Broadway flashback – the movie does offer insight into a man whose lyrics now are underscored with the deeper, hidden rhythms of truth.

Grade: B

Christopher Smith is the Bangor Daily News film critic. His reviews appear Mondays and Fridays in Style, 5:30 p.m. Thursdays on WLBZ 2 Bangor and WCSH 6 Portland, and are archived at RottenTomatoes.com. He may be reached at BDNFilm1@aol.com.