The Paleolithic mammals are back and so is that cute little saber-toothed squirrel Scrat.

It’s the fourth movie of the “Ice Age” franchise, it’s formulaic and exactly what you’ve come to expect from the series. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s entertaining. The writers didn’t need to reinvent the successful box office formula here.

The cast of misfits was last seen saving Sid the sloth (voiced by John Leguizamo) from dinosaurs in “Dawn of the Dinosaurs.” For “Continental Drift,” the land is shifting and splitting apart. Because of this, mammoth Manny (Ray Romano) is separated from his wife Ellie (Queen Latifah) and their 19-year-old daughter Peaches (Keke Palmer).

Manny is adrift with Diego the sabre-toothed cat (Denis Leary), Sid and Sid’s hilarious grandma Granny — voiced perfectly by Wanda Sykes. And the adventure picks up from there.

Calling this fourth iteration “safe” is accurate. Ten years after the first “Ice Age,” it’s funny at times and kids — and some of their parents — will enjoy this 94-minute animated 3-D film.

The level of animation and creativity from 20th Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios still seems to be subpar with DreamWorks Animation and the juggernaut that is Disney/Pixar. BUT there is still some really nice work exhibited in the “Ice Age” series.

The animated short before the movie, “The Longest Daycare,” follows baby Maggie from “The Simpsons” on a day at a daycare facility. It is short and sweet and carries Pixar charm.

At the end of “Continental Drift,” there is a music video with one of the movie’s theme songs, “We Are.” It perfectly sums up the movie. “We are, we are, not your ordinary family … we’re so lucky indeed … we are family.” It describes a bunch of misfits that together form a family.

The “Ice Age” series has this family message at its core. And that’s where it really succeeds.

/ 5

Official trailer:

Rated PG for mild rude humor and action/peril.

Read more: STAR @ the movies

Toledo Free Press Lead Designer and Film Editor James A. Molnar blogs about all things Oscar at TheGoldKnight.com. Watch him discuss movies on “WNWO Today” around 5:50 a.m. on Fridays.

Tags: 20th Century Fox Animation, Blue Sky, Continental Drift, Denis Leary, Family, Film, Ice Age, James A. Molnar, John Leguizamo, Keke Palmer, Movies, Queen Latifah, Ray Romano, review, Scrat, summer movies, The Gold Knight, Wanda Sykes

This entry was posted on Friday, July 13th, 2012 at 3:26 am and is filed under Arts and Life, Film, Star, The Gold Knight.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Based on the 1994 book of the same name by Janet Evanovich, the action-comedy “One for the Money” stars Katherine Heigl as lead character Stephanie Plum, a down-on-her-luck ex-lingerie sales clerk who now tackles the tough bail bonds business. Heigl keeps Stephanie’s character authenticity by wearing a wig for the role and performing a decent New Jersey accent while her natural personal appeal resonates in each scene. She always keeps the audience on her side except for an odd reaction after a car bomb scene, but recovers with compelling emotional reactions to an injured friend and grisly discovery (implied, but not shown). Ranger, played by Daniel Sunjata, shows Stephanie the ropes and is also described as “the statue of David by Michelangelo, if you dipped him in caramel and strapped some heat on him.”

Stephanie’s assignments eventually lead to her main target/past love interest Joe Morelli, played by Irish actor Jason O’Mara. Their past relationship picks up again as Joe, an ex-cop, is suspected of murder and misses his related court date. Their on-screen chemistry works as the unconventional plot often surprises viewers where they meet throughout the plot while always hinting at their eventual partnership. Supporting cast members Debbie Reynolds, as Stephanie’s grandmother, and John Leguizamo, as a shady fighter manager Jimmy Alpha, impress, but it’s Sherri Shepherd who takes the pot as Lula, a memorable prostitute who helps Stephanie discover the truth behind this murder mystery.

Extra features include a great gag reel, theatrical trailer, one deleted scene, and two featurettes – “Bond Girls: Kicking A** in the Bail Bonds Industry”, which includes some rated R language while expanding the bail bonds process beyond the film, and “Making the Money: Behind the Scenes” featuring the stars, author Evanovich and director Julie Anne Robinson who puts together an amazing movie except for the bad sound in a kitchen scene with Stephanie and Joe. Hopefully filmmakers will continue future movie installments from the book sequels that include “Two for the Dough” and “Three to Get Deadly”. Recommended (***) and rated PG-13 for violence, language, partial nudity, sexual references and some drug material.

Tags: Daniel Sunjata, Debbie Reynolds, DVD review, Janet Evanovich, Jason O'Mara, John Leguizamo, Katherine Heigl, Michael Siebenaler, One for the Money, Sherri Shepherd

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012 at 11:00 am and is filed under Arts and Life, DVD Review, Film.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.