'Nick and Norah' do New York

**1/2 out of ****

Whoever said opposites attract clearly hasn't met Nick and Norah. After a summer of raunchy R-rated, laugh-out-loud comedies such as "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder," "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" turns down the volume a bit with a romantic high school comedy.

Michael Cera ("Superbad," "Juno") stars as Nick. Heartbroken by his girlfriend, Tris (Alexis Dziena), Nick becomes a recluse, but his band members (Aaron Yoo and Rafi Gavron) hope to cheer him up by convincing him to play at their New York City gig.

One girl at the gig is Norah (Kat Dennings), a straight-laced student who has been dragged there by her drunken friend, Caroline (Ari Graynor). After one of Norah's classmates teases her about coming to the club without a date, she grabs the first guy she sees and begs him to pretend to be her boyfriend.

The guy happens to be Nick and the classmate turns out to be Tris. With the rest of the night ahead of them, Nick and Norah hopscotch around the Big Apple trying to find drunken Caroline and their favorite band Fluffy, which is playing at a secret venue. While looking for Fluffy, they find love along the way.

"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" is based on a book by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. First-time screenwriter Lorene Scafaria has a knack for dialogue that's sweet and touching, but misses the funny bone. Director Peter Sollett does a hip job that surpasses most of the recent glop in this field. He also has a great ear for independent music, although you wish at points some other genres were explored. Unfortunately, the film falls prey to predictability and sloppy transitions.

Cera and Dennings ("The House Bunny") have a fair amount of chemistry between them, but it seems forced or missing at times. Dennings pulls off a convincing performance as a timid spirit, while Cera stars as a dejected musician.

The supporting cast helps the movie move along, but sometimes a little too bluntly. Yoo stands out as Nick's best friend, but there is not much depth to his character. Graynor steals most of the laughs stumbling around New York City, though she seems out of place, as if she's in a different slapstick movie. The film has a few quirky charms, but mainly remixes the same old tunes.

As far as romantic comedies go, should "Nick and Norah" pop up on your movie playlist, you'll be in for an enjoyable time.

Battles around in "Narnia" sequel

*** out of ****

Based on C.S. Lewis' timeless book series, "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" is the second installment and just as entertaining as 2005's "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

Taking place a year later, the Pevensie children are settling back into their normal life in London.
Older siblings Peter (William Moseley) and Susan (Anna Popplewell) seem to have put Narnia behind them, while younger Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and youngest Lucy (Georgie Henley) are aching to go back.

The younger ones get their way, being transported back to Narnia, only this time they travel through a subway station.

And the mode of transport isn't the only new thing to have happened since last visiting Narnia. Although only one year has past, 2,300 years have elapsed in Narnia time, and the once magical land is left in shambles.

The Narnians are near extinction thanks to the human Telmarines.

The Telmarine race is in chaos. Prince Caspian's (Ben Barnes) evil uncle, King Miraz (Sergio Castellitto), tries to assassinate Caspian after his wife (Alicia Borrachero) bears a boy who will become his successor. Caspian narrowly escapes his uncle's deadly clutches and runs off to Narnia for help.

Caspian promises to restore peace in Narnia if he can get his place back on the royal throne.

With the help of the Pevensies, Caspian rounds up all of the surviving mystical creatures in Narnia to rebel against Miraz and bring civility back to the land.

Even with more spectacular scenery, thrills, battles, creatures and carnage, "Prince Caspian" is slightly less impressive than it's predecessor. In lieu of the magical mysticism, we get more action.

Director Andrew Adamson ("The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe") has become more tactful with his crafty camerawork, sweeping across the beautiful landscapes.

Almost two-and-a-half hours, the same length as the first film, "Prince Caspian" noticeably needs trimming.

The battle scenes are intense, epic and gargantuan. Edited superbly, one or two scenes could have been trimmed along with some dialogue and unneeded new characters.

The writing team of director Adamson, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely return. The script delves a little too deep into the hierarchy of the land, and some humor also is missing.

"Prince Caspian" has a much darker and savage tone compared to the first, focusing less on the characters and more on politics and battles.

Peter Dinklage ("Death at a Funeral," "Nip/Tuck") as new character Trumpkin, a dwarf with dry wit, is a welcome addition. Eddie Izzard ("The Riches") also visits the world of Narnia as the voice of the swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep, who is reminiscent of Shrek's Puss In Boots (Adamson also directed the first two "Shrek" movies). Hopefully at least one of the two will return for the next installment, "The Voyage of the Dawn Treader," which is set to sail in 2010 and will be guided by new director Michael Apted ("Enough," "The World Is Not Enough").

The magnificent child actors that play the Pevensie children are marvelous and Castellitto is menacing as Miraz. Barnes, however, comes off too timid as the warrior Prince Caspian.

Not as perfect as the original, a faithful adaptation with rousing battles and likable characters makes "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" a summer blockbuster must-see.

It's a who's who of stars in 'Horton'

*** out of ****

"A person's a person, no matter how small." That is the lesson for us all, that walk down the theater hall, to see Dr. Seuss' "Horton Hears a Who!" -- a worthy Hollywood adaptation once and for all.

After the so-so "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and the dire "Cat in the Hat," a Dr. Seuss story has found the right form in animation instead of live action, capturing the true essence of the book. The cartoon-y animation, true to book form, helps the movie come to life with many of the scenes inspired by the book's drawings. The talented voice cast with top-rated comedians of old and new, along with the hilarious script, boost "Horton" to one of the best family and comedy films this year.

"Horton" starts off with the star of the film, Horton (Jim Carrey, who starred in "Grinch"), a lovable and eccentric elephant living in the jungle of Nool, dictated by Sour Kangaroo (Carol Burnett) who dislikes imagination and things out of order. While taking a bath, Horton hears cries for help coming from a speck of dust floating in the air and chases it down, catching it on a daisy. Trying to talk to the speck, he ends up communicating with the Mayor (Steve Carell) who, unbeknownst to him, oversees the mircoscopic town of Whoville. Dr. Mary Lou Larue, the town's scientist, says that if the town cannot reach stability it is doomed. The Mayor, not believing Horton, who he can only hear but not see, makes the task of survival that much harder.

The Mayor passes on the information to Horton, who is determined to find a stable place for Whoville. He decides to go to the top of the highest mountain in the jungle of Nool. When the resident of the jungle catch wind of the story and start using their imaginations, Sour Kangaroo is unyielding in her attempts to destroy the speck, saying "The only things that are real are what you can see, hear, or feel." The Mayor, too, is under pressure, unable to convince his wife (Amy Poehler), the wicked councilman (Dan Fogler) and the rest of the town of their impending fate.

Sour Kangaroo solicits help from an evil vulture, Vlad (Will Arnett), to destroy the speck. Horton must watch out for aerial attacks from Vlad and the vigilant eye of Sour Kangaroo on his journey to the top of mount Nool.

First-time directors Jimmy Hayward and Steve Martino do an excellent job of recreating the imaginative landscape created by Dr. Seuss with gratifying colorful visuals. Screenplay writers Dan Daurio and Cinco Paul also find the quintessence of the book, not straying far from its many themes with jokes-a-plenty.

Jim Carrey has a wide vocal range for Horton, providing a great character voice, and Steve Carell also gives equally fine voice-work as the reluctant Mayor. Dan Fogler and Will Arnett make excellent villains and Seth Rogen gets some snickers as Horton's mouse friend. Jaime Pressly ("My Name is Earl"), Jonah Hill ("Superbad"), Jesse McCartney ("Alvin and the Chipmunks") and Niecy Nash ("Reno 911!") round out the superb supporting cast. However, it is Carol Burnett that creates the fullest character with plenty of personality that you can't help but love and hate.

From the animation team that brought us "Ice Age," "Horton Hears a Who!" is another magical hit.

No matter what, "Horton" is definitely for you, even if you are a Grinch.

The Fantasy of "Spiderwick Chronicles" Charms

*** out of ****

"The Spiderwick Chronicles" is another book-to-screen outing, but unlike the rest, this one stands out. Fatigued after all of the fantasy novel adaptations from last year alone, high-profile films such as "The Golden Compass," "The Seeker: The Dark is Rising" and "Stardust" were all shunned by audiences. With rushed starts, abrupt stops and confusion all around, "Spiderwick" shakes things up by letting the viewers take a breath without skimping on the CGI warfare.

Rated PG, "Spiderwick" does have some genuinely scary moments, but this is one that the whole family can enjoy.

Based on the five-part, best-selling kids' series, the film is a faithful adaptation which combines all of the books into one presentation.

The story starts with Helen Grace (Mary Louise-Parker) moving the family to the dilapidated Spiderwick Estate after her divorce. The estate was inherited from her great-great uncle Arthur Spiderwick (David Strathairn). Oldest daughter Mallory (Sarah Bolger), who enjoys fencing, and her bookish, pacifist brother Simon (Freddy Highmore) are supportive of their distraught mother and the move. Simon's identical twin, Jared, (also played by Freddy Highmore) isn't as supportive. Adventurous, curious and headstrong, Jared is upset with his mother and would rather live with his father.

The action starts quickly when Jared finds Arthur's secret laboratory and discovers a strange old book. The book, which has a "do not open" note attached, turns out to be a field guide of the magical world around the estate and the secrets of the mysterious creatures in the surrounding woods. Jared soon becomes a believer after he meets Thimbletack (voiced by Martin Short), a small, hamster-like man who was Arthur's assistant.

Simon also becomes aware of this mystical world with strange occurrences, though Mallory and their mom are not yet convinced. The twins learn that the evil shape-shifting ogre leader, Mulgarath (Nick Nolte), will stop at nothing to retrieve the book to become even more deadly. Mallory and mom soon become believers when the house is attacked by frog-like goblins.

Unlike most fantasy films, "The Spiderwick Chronicles" doesn't hold back -- goblins not only chase the kids, but also claw and stab to the point of cuts and bruises. With many evil and hideous creatures, there are also helpful ones such as the hog-looking Hogsqueal (voiced by Seth Rogen), and flower-like fairies who help with the fight in an action-packed CGI sequence.

Known from his Lindsay Lohan hits "Freaky Friday" and "Mean Girls," director Mark Waters enters new territory and is just as successful. Waters has stunning and majestic imagery filled with CGI creatures and live-action actors intertwining beautifully making this one a must to see in the theaters -- or IMAX, where it also is being shown.

Karey Kirkpatrick, David Berenbaum and John Sayles wrote the welcoming screenplay from Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black's novels. It leaves no confusion and a longer exposition to create character depth, adding a much bigger impact when it comes time for the final result.

"Weeds" star Mary Louise-Parker takes the backseat playing the caring-but-unaware mom.

The real star of "Spiderwick" is the young and very talented British actor Freddie Highmore ("Finding Neverland," "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory") who sports a decent American accent. Highmore, who acts both roles, amazingly creates two very separate characters as if they were played by different performers.

The animation department deserves recognition for the stunning visuals, as do Short and Rogen for being the friendly and likeable voices of their unique characters.

Working as a stand-alone film, with a nicely closed ending, "Spiderwick" isn't the next "Harry Potter" or "Narnia," but there is still so much adventure and fun, you would want to go back for another round.