Corpse Bride
The 40-Year Old
Virgin
Wallace & Gromit: The
Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Corpse Bride
Rated PG; Starring the Voice of Johnny
Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson and Albert Finney
Directed by Tim Burton
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
Rated R; Starring Steve Carell and
Catherine Keener
Directed by Judd Apatow
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the
Were-Rabbit
Rated G; Starring the Voices of Ralph
Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter
Directed by Nick Park and Steve Box
Some
of us don’t look forward to the below-zero temperatures that are quickly
approaching. We don’t like the thought of
our cars not starting up, or having to bundle in layers just to clean out our
driveways. Even the snow is only mildly
amusing, and yet, winter is one of my favorite months. That’s because it’s the time when studios
unleash their biggest and best films and with numerous good films already in
theaters, it appears that winter has come early.
Surprisingly,
one of the best films currently in theaters is the one with the least-promising
title. Judd Apatow’s side-splitting
comedy, “The 40 Year Old Virgin” puts earlier summer comedies to shame. Stuffed with plenty of jokes and heart,
Apatow turns a funny concept into a two-hour laugh fest.
“Virgin,”
which has been in theaters since mid-August, stars Steve Carell as the title
character (Andy Stitzer). Andy is a nice
guy who works at an electronics store, collects action figures and keeps his
distance from the ladies. That is, until
he meets Trish (Catherine Keener), a lovely single-mother of three.
Somehow,
“The 40 Year Old Virgin” manages to be very funny without being rude or
offensive; and it boasts one of the funniest finales in cinema history.
Those
who prefer something with a more appropriate title may want to check out two of
the finest animated films of the year.
“Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride” is a wildly engaging and highly original
stop-motion animated feature that should please kids and adults, alike.
The
same goes for “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” which
shouldn’t be dismissed as a Halloween special.
Along with its cutesy characters and uplifting story, “Wallace &
Gromit” is one of the friendliest and most entertaining films of the year.
This
time, Nick Park’s characters face a tragedy when a giant rabbit threatens to
ruin the year’s biggest festival but not if Wallace and his loyal dog, Gromit,
have anything to say about it.
“Wallace
& Gromit,” like “Corpse Bride” is well worth seeing, although I prefer
“Corpse Bride’s” originality over “Gromit’s” light-hearted fun.
Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride: A, The 40 Year
Old Virgin: B+, Wallace and Gromit: B+