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In theaters
STEP UP 2 THE STREETS, directed by Jon M. Chu, written by Toni Ann Johnson and Karen Barna, 98 minutes, rated PG-13.
Stripped of surprises and coasting on cliches, the new Jon M. Chu movie, “Step Up 2 the Streets,” is a sequel to 2006’s “Step Up,” which pinned much of its hopes on its two leads – former model Channing Tatum, whose Tyler Gage was a Baltimore tough guy with a hard-knock, hip-hop life, and Jenna Dewan, whose Nora was a well-to-do dancer finishing her senior year at the Maryland School for the Arts.
Essentially, it was up to these two to generate whatever interest and tension the movie had, which wasn’t much since each actor was given the burden of making something out of nothing. And yet for the movie – and for audiences – the good news was that both Tatum and Dewan were enough to best the bum script. They were likable, their dance talent was undeniable and their modest chemistry went some way in lifting the movie above the mediocrity it otherwise courted.
The same proves true for the sequel, which takes a giant leap of faith by offering audiences something absolutely new.
In this case, the female lead is the one with the tough exterior and the male lead is the one who comes from a place of academic privilege. That’s a radical stretch, I know, and the writers must have fallen off pointe in their struggle to come up with the premise, but there you have it. And here’s something more – the movie also recalls elements of Mariah Carey’s ill-fated 2001 movie “Glitter.” Yes, “Glitter,” which for months put that star’s career in the gutter.
In that film, Carey’s Billie Frank cuts loose vocally at a crowded club, where her champion, a DJ named Dice (Max Beesley), eventually works his magic to change her life. In “Step Up 2 the Streets,” Briana Evigan’s orphaned Andie cuts loose with some kick moves at a club, which catches the eye of Chase (Robert Hoffman), who is so impressed by what he sees in Briana’s crazed crunk that he works his own magic to get her admitted into Maryland’s coveted School for the Arts.
And that’s where trouble ignites. Who wants to bet that abrasive Briana isn’t exactly a seamless fit amid her stuffy new peers? And that by going to school, she’ll have a falling out with the members of the 410, a street dance team known for causing dancing chaos in public and with whom Briana belongs? Also, could it be that drama awaits Briana and Chase as they grow closer? And what of Chase’s own dreams – might they flourish as he and Briana … err … step up 2 the streets for a dance showdown?
As predictable as all this is and as shameless as the movie is in how it overlooks the realities of race in the inner city, it only really lags when its characters are asked to speak and act – not dance. So, the good news is that they mostly do the latter – and quite well, as the ending of the movie proves with a street dance in the rain that’s fun to watch, as is another scene of salsa that occurs, naturally, at a barbecue.
All of this feverish bending, twirling, twisting and snapping of the body is so infused with attitude, in fact, that it allows the film and its characters to live and breathe in ways that run counter to the movie’s otherwise rhythmless script.
Grade: C+
On DVD and HD DVD
BEE MOVIE, directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner, written by Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Barry Marder and Andy Robin, 100 minutes, rated PG.
If the computer-animated “Bee Movie” had been directed by a queen bee rather than by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner, it likely would have been tighter, more productive and had a sense of purpose. The film’s worker bees – in this case, the animators and writers – also might have been more focused on creating a great movie, rather than the average one they’ve given us here.
Unfortunately, too much of “Bee Movie” seems as if it was driven by drones. This is a film that likely played out better on the page than it does onscreen.
At least that’s true for its first half. The movie is the pet project of Jerry Seinfeld, who worked for years on the film, apparently polishing it to the point that he rubbed its edges smooth.
Set in New Hive City, the movie follows one Barry B. Benson (voice of Seinfeld), a bee fresh out of college who is inspired to change the world by ending human consumption of honey. For Barry, the idea that humans are robbing hives blind and working bees to death is a good reason to rebel. His idea is to get the humans out of the honey business, and allow some down time for the bumbles.
Helping him in that task is Vanessa (Renee Zellweger), a florist with boyfriend troubles who agrees to help Barry in his quest to sue the human race for enslavement and thievery. Eventually, they wind up in court and it’s here, in the film’s second half, that it leaps to life.
This is due in great part to the human race’s hefty lawyer Layton T. Montgomery (John Goodman, excellent), who is given to marvelous bouts of histrionics, and also to the fallout that springs from the trial, which is dire. After all, what is the world to do if Barry actually wins his case? Has anyone considered the ramifications? Bees already are in dangerously short supply. If they stop pollinating flowers and plants, wouldn’t a worldwide collapse ensue, with all vegetation dying?
That’s a serious subject to explore, but in a cartoon that would rather squeeze the life out of every bee pun it can get its hands on, the big monster in this movie isn’t the human race, but those humans who failed to create a compelling film.
Grade: C
Visit www.weekinrewind.com, the archive of Bangor Daily News film critic Christopher Smith’s reviews, which appear Mondays, Fridays and weekends in Lifestyle, as well as on bangordailynews.com. He may be reached at Christopher@weekinrewind.com.
New to DVD
Renting a DVD? BDN film critic Christopher Smith can help. Below are his grades of recent releases. Those in bold print are new to stores this week.
Across the Universe – C+
American Gangster – B
America at War – B+
Balls of Fury – D+
Bee Movie – C
Beowulf – C-
Blades of Glory – B+
The Bourne Ultimatum – B+
The Brave One – C
Daddy Day Camp – F
Dan in Real Life – B
Dragon Wars – D+
Dr. Doolittle 4-Pack – C+
Eastern Promises – A-
Elizabeth: The Golden Age – C
Evan Almighty – C
Evening – C+
Fail Safe – A-
The Game Plan – B
Good Luck Chuck – D
Gone Baby Gone – B+
Hairspray – A-
Into the Wild – A
In the Valley of Elah – B+
The Invasion – B-
The Invisible – C-
The Jane Austen Book Club – B
The Kingdom – D+
Live Free or Die Hard – B-
Lust, Caution – C
Magnum, P.I.: Eighth Season – C
Margot at the Wedding – C
Michael Clayton – A-
A Mighty Heart – A-
Mr. Woodcock – C-
No Country for Old Men – A
No Reservations – B-
Ratatouille – A
The Reaping – D
Reign Over Me – C-
Rendition – C+
The Simpson’s Movie – B+
Shoot ‘Em Up – B
Shooter – C+
Sicko – A-
Stardust – B
Superbad – B+
Surf’s Up – B+
300 – C-
3:10 to Yuma – A
The Transformers – B+
30 Days of Night – B-
28 Weeks Later – B
Underdog – C-
War – C-
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