Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Rated PG-13

You gotta see this if: You’re in full support of NASCAR coming to Kitsap County.

final analysis: **½ If you tried to play a drinking game where everyone takes a drink each time a product placement is spotted in this Ferrell flick, the players would be comatose before the movie reached its halfway point. Of course, since “Talledega Nights” spoofs NASCAR and rednecks, the constant referrals to Wonder Bread, Old Spice, and KFC are appropriate. This is another movie featuring Will Ferrell as a puffed up dolt. He plays Ricky Bobby, a man driven to go fast. His success at racecar driving brings him prestige and a hefty dose of egomania, until a new driver joins his team who is French, (gasp) gay (gulp) and faster than Ricky Bobby even with a macchiato (extra froth) in hand. The supporting cast is excellent, particularly John C. Reilly as Ricky Bobby’s sidekick, and, overall, this is a very funny movie, though sometimes the humor hits like a sledgehammer over the cranium. There are no subtleties in “Talledega Nights,” just cartoonish comedy, but it’s a genre Will Ferrell does well especially when running around in a pair of tighty whities.

The Descent

Rated R

You gotta see this if: You’ve ever been dumped by a British spelunker.

final analysis: *** “The Descent” is absolutely not a movie for the claustrophobic at heart. It chronicles six female friends on a spelunking adventure in an uncharted Appalachian cavern. Of course, a cave-in traps the girls within dark, rocky confines tighter than Chinese fingercuffs. Watching them panic and turn on each other might have been entertaining enough, but they soon discover they’re not alone in their prison. Blind, flesh-eating creatures that strangely resemble men in white bodysuits reside in these caves and begin picking off the women is a variety of gruesome ways. Many comparisons have been made between this film and “The Cave,” which was released last summer. However, “The Descent” is far superior to “The Cave” and reminded me more of the 1982 horror classic, “The Thing.” It manages to exploit a wide variety of fears and will have all but the most jaded horror fan covering their eyes or sucking their thumb. And where this flick really beats its horror film competitors is in creating strong, intelligent female protagonists who don’t run screaming toward their deadly fate, chests bouncing.

Snakes on a Plane

Rated R

You gotta see this if: You’ve ever been seated on a plane between a dog and a baby.

final analysis: *** This movie makes a good argument for having weapons on a plane. After all, if your airplane is infested with dozens of poisonous snakes, it’s pretty hard to defend yourself with a plastic spork. “Snakes on a Plane” is exactly what you should expect: gratuitous, campy, often silly fun. Samuel L. Jackson plays an FBI agent escorting a witness in a murder case from Honolulu to L.A. The bad guy, in an attempt to prevent the witness from reaching his destination manages to smuggle a large crate of snakes into the cargo hold, including a 22-foot long Burmese python capable of swallowing a baby elephant. The main reason this movie works is that it never takes itself too seriously. Oh, it still had me jumping out of my seat with fear, especially given the vulnerable body parts on which some of the victims were attacked. But the movie’s greatest strength is humor delivered by a strong cast of characters. And despite a strong whiff of cheese when Samuel L. Jackson stood up and announced that he wanted those *#%&*^#@%! snakes off the *#%&*^#@%! plane, the audience cheered, hooted and clapped. Me too.