Starting in 1963, Blake Edwards directed Peter Sellers as zee dogged bungler Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Edwards also co-wrote those five comedies. Steve Martin has co-written two knock-offs where he reincarnates Clouseau with slapstick cluelessness. “The Pink Panther 2” is billed as a sequel but that’s a gaffe on par with the verbal pitfalls inflicted by the English-speaking French cop. Dimmer than Martin’s first outing, this one is little more than a remake. Martin and co-writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber simply revisit the 2006 set-up. Clouseau is once again on the trail of the legendary diamond that’s named after a flaw resembling the title animal. John Cleese plays his beleaguered, upstaged overseer. Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer return as supporting shtick-sters. Prepare to wince at wasted talent and lame, dated humor whenever Lily Tomlin appears to play a hapless coach on political correctness in the workplace. Director Harald Zwart is about as inept as Clouseau in handling an international “dream team” of investigators. By some accident or another, a brilliant bit with juggling wine bottles slipped into this mediocre rebottling job. With Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki and Aishwarya Rai. 92m. (Bill Stamets)
Seeing The Elephant: A Review Of Babylon The boisterous, brawling yet melancholy "Babylon," is a variation on film history, but more drawing for drama. It's gaudy and mean, celebratory and sorrowful.
Heart: A Review of Soul The real world is soulful, too, in Pixar's bountiful life of the mind.
Uncanny Ally: A Review Of M3GAN "M3GAN" sells itself in its first handful of seconds in how it introduces the handiwork of roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams, "Get Out") and her present product, PurrPetual Petz from Funki.
Fine Line: A Review Of Shortcomings It's a season for the comeuppance of a curmudgeon in Randall Park's smart, biting "Shortcomings," adapted by Adrian Tomine from his graphic novel of the same name.
A Drag Getting Old: A Review Of Indiana Jones 5 In the protracted opening couple of reels, a very young, computer-crafted Harrison Ford plays a younger cultural marauder who first encounters the dull MacGuffin of the title.
Starting in 1963, Blake Edwards directed Peter Sellers as zee dogged bungler Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Edwards also co-wrote those five comedies. Steve Martin has co-written two knock-offs where he reincarnates Clouseau with slapstick cluelessness. “The Pink Panther 2” is billed as a sequel but that’s a gaffe on par with the verbal pitfalls inflicted by the English-speaking French cop. Dimmer than Martin’s first outing, this one is little more than a remake. Martin and co-writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber simply revisit the 2006 set-up. Clouseau is once again on the trail of the legendary diamond that’s named after a flaw resembling the title animal. John Cleese plays his beleaguered, upstaged overseer. Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer return as supporting shtick-sters. Prepare to wince at wasted talent and lame, dated humor whenever Lily Tomlin appears to play a hapless coach on political correctness in the workplace. Director Harald Zwart is about as inept as Clouseau in handling an international “dream team” of investigators. By some accident or another, a brilliant bit with juggling wine bottles slipped into this mediocre rebottling job. With Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Yuki Matsuzaki and Aishwarya Rai. 92m. (Bill Stamets)
