At The Movies
Despicable Me (In Theaters: July 9)
Good and bad flip-flop in this 3-D computer-generated animated kids’ movie about an evil inventor named Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) who plans on stealing the moon from the sky. However, an evil upstartvillain who calls himself Vector (voiced by Jason Segel) threatens to beat Gru to the punch. To get inside his arch enemy’s hideout, Gru adopts three little orphaned girls named Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier) and Agnes (Elsie Fisher) to help him. Gru already has an army of little yellow creatures who build his collection of devices that include things like a “freeze-ray.” Could it be that Gru has a bigger heart for raising three little girls than disrupting the world’s peace?
Rated PG for rude humor and mild action. (Universal Pictures)
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
(In Theaters: July 30)
Kitty Galore (voiced by Bette Midler) is a hairless super-spy Sphinx cat with plans to enslave all mankind after going rogue from her secret cat spy organization, called MEOWS. With the help of a smarmy cat named Mr. Tinkles (voiced by Sean Hayes) and a group of mice helpers, Kitty is on a dangerous roll. It’s only if cats and dogs, and a certain pigeon named Seamus (Katt Williams), can work together to stop the evil Kitty that the world of humans and animals stands a chance. Diggs (James Marsden) and Butch (Nick Nolte) are the two dogspaw-picked by the secret Dogs HQ spy team to lead the mission. This 3-D live-action adventure comedy also features the voices of Roger Moore and Neil Patrick Harris in a space-age animal comedy where dogs fl y with the help of fancy gadgets that make James Bond look unprepared. Rated PG for animal action and humor. (Warner Bros. Pictures)
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (In Theaters: July 14)
Sorcerer Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage) has been searching the world over for college student Dave Stutler (Jay Baruchel) to study as his apprentice. Once Dave accepts his fate, there is no turning back.
Modern-day Manhattan is the setting where Dave learns to battle a gathering group of dark forces that include one very tricky fellow named Maxim Horvath (Alfred Molina), who wants to conquer the world. The story makes room for romance when Dave meets Becky (Teresa Palmer) as he masters the art and science of magic. Flashy special effects bring to life a giant metal eagle and a fire-breathing dragon in this action adventure fantasy where anything is possible. Rated PG for fantasy action violence, some mild rude humor and brief language. (Walt Disney Pictures)
Movies on DVD
The Red Shoes (In Stores: July 20)
Credited with making more little girls want to become ballerinas than any other movie in history, Michael Powell’s 1948 classic is a very special family movie. The red-haired Vicky Page (Moira Shearer) is an ambitious young dancer who gets accepted into a respected ballet company led by a very demanding man named Boris. Vickie falls in love with the company’s composer Julian but is conflicted over her overpowering desire to dance. Filmed in brilliant Technicolor that excites the eyes, The Red Shoes is an unforgettable dance movie that peaks with a 17-minute dance performance based on a Hans Christian Andersen folktale. While you might think The Red Shoes is old-fashioned, it is a truly great movie that kids and grown-ups will want to watch more than once.
Not Rated. (The Criterion Collection)
Cole Smithey, also known as “the smartest film critic in the world,” has been a film critic for 11 years and writes for over 50 publications, in print and on-line. Truman loves to
