Director: Don Scardino

Writer: Jonathan M. Goldstein, John Francis Daley

Starring: Steve Carell, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Jim Carrey, James Gandolfini, Alan Arkin

Tomatometer: 39/24/63 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: Albert and Anthony, two nerdy middle-schoolers, bond over the abuse they suffer at the hands of the cool kids, as well as their love of magic.  Twelve seconds later, they are headlining magicians at Bally’s in Las Vegas.  Now that they’ve been performing together for 30 years, as The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton, their magical friendship has frayed significantly.  When the mystifying Steve Gray (a David Blaine/Criss Angel hybrid) shows up on the strip, Burt and Anton’s ticket sales plummet, forcing them to find some perspective.

Two Cents: It’s fun to watch funny people have fun.

The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is exactly what you think it is.  Steve Carell does his best Michael Scott impression as Burt, a self-obsessed nerd who grossly overestimates his own coolness, Jim Carrey makes a triumphant return to his patented ridiculousness, and Steve Buscemi takes a break from running Atlantic City to show off the comedic chops that made him famous.  With mildly humorous input from Gandolfini and Arkin, this cast is a comedy lover’s dream.  The cast is far better than the material, but they do their best to make it work.

Magic is cool.  Magicians aren’t necessarily cool, but that which they do is pretty awesome.  This movie gets to the heart of the matter.  The task of any magician is to make people believe to be possible that which they know to be impossible.  Whether that impossibility is pulling a rabbit from a hat, sawing a busty blond in half, or making a yacht disappear (#GOB), the goal is the same.  With a quick misdirection or some deft slight-of-hand, anything is possible.  Similarly, with an adequately skilled cast of comedians, any script can lead to a genuinely funny movie.

There’s no question that Steve Carell is a bona fide movie star.  He’s got range, he’s lovable, and he’s a skilled negotiator.  When he left The Office, we all hoped he would go on to make groundbreaking and hilarious movies. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone is neither groundbreaking, nor hilarious, yet it is an enjoyable comedy, and, if this is Carell’s worst movie, then we’re in for a fun career.

Jim Carrey must have been living a pretty exciting life over the last five years.  He’s certainly shown no desire to enjoy movie stardom.  It’s hard to argue that Carrey simply had  to make an appearance in this film, but it’s equally difficult to imagine any other actor doing such a great job of playing wacky douche Steve Gray.

Steve Buscemi was born to play introverted weirdos.  Sure, that’s not the kind of thing you want to hear in the speeches at your bar mitzvah, but it can make for a rather lucrative career choice.  On Boardwalk Empire, Buscemi has proven he’s a seriously gifted actor.  However, I’m sure I’m not the only one who hopes to see him doing a lot more comedy in the near future.

Should I/Shouldn’t I: If you like Steve Carell, and you’re in the mood for some good, harmless fun, you should see The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. You don’t need to see it in a theater, as none of the tricks require elaborate staging, but you’ll definitely enjoy the film when you get around to it.  Should you forget all about it by the time it hits your VOD list, that’s okay, too.  I think you’ll live.

Sundae Rating: Two scoops

Director: Sam Raimi

Writer: Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsay-Abaire

Based On: Novel (The Wonderful Wizard of Oz) by L. Frank Baum

Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff

Tomatometer: 60/30/82 (all critics, top critics, audience)

Spoiler-free Summary: A youngster from Kansas get caught up in a tornado.  The youngster crash-lands in a strange and magical place called Oz.  The youngster is recruited by a good witch, in order to help defeat an evil witch.  Have you seen The wizard of Oz?  Good, so, you’ve seen Oz the Great and Powerful.

Two Cents: In the words of Frank Sinatra, I had high hopes – high as the sky hopes – for the new Oz prequel.  Okay, not really, but I did think it would be pretty cool.  Unfortunately, the film didn’t quite live up to my expectations.  I usually like James Franco, but he seemed to approach this role with the same vim and vigor with which he co-hosted the Oscars.  He does a great job with drama, and he kills it as a stoner.  For some reason, though, he can’t handle anything in between.  Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels this way about Mr. Franco, as he wasn’t Disney’s first choice for the role of Oscar.  Lucky for James, though, enough dudes turned it down, and he laughed all the way to the bank with a $7,000,000 payday.  Yup, seven million, and kisses from Mila Kunis.  Not a bad way to spend three months.

Speaking of Kunis, she proved that she will never top her performance in Black Swan, when it comes to playing the villain.  Sure, part of her problem is the horrendous makeup job that was plastered on her face during filming, but I don’t think Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell could have saved her.

How about the rest of the ladies?  Michelle Williams is such an enigma.  She started out as the drinking, snorting, fornicating Jen on Dawson’s Creek (the greatest television series of all time), but she’s morphed into a church mouse.  She doesn’t make a peep, she rarely comes out to play, and she seems to think everyone hates her.  You’re a good actress, Jen!  I mean, Michelle.  We’re all sad that Heath is gone, but it’s time for you to smile, once in a while.

Rachel Weisz (a real-life Bond girl) looks fantastic (the best she’s looked since The Mummy), and does the best job of the three witches, which isn’t saying much.  She doesn’t get much screen time, but she makes it count.

What happened to Zach Braff?  Was he dead?  Well, if he was, he rose from the grave for this movie.  Braff plays Franco’s trusty sidekick, and does a decent job as a wanna-be Donkey.  I loved Scrubs, and I think Garden State is a great movie.  However, Braff is a poor man’s Woody Allen, at best, and he doesn’t add much life to this story.  Some of the other supporting actors (e.g., Bill Cobb) do a decent job adding to the fun-factor, but the only thing that really makes the movie interesting is the stunning visual effects work.  Unfortunately, those visual effects are only on display for about 20% of the film.

My biggest problem with this movie was Sam Raimi’s direction.  I know the story is based on children’s books, but that doesn’t mean the entire audience has yet to reach puberty.  Write this down, Sam: If there is a crowd watching two people talk, the crowd will hear what those two people are saying.  Yes, even if you turn the camera for a second, so the crowd isn’t onscreen.  Also, stop showing up for work with the libido of a 14-year-old boy.  You don’t have to dress your actresses based on what they wore in your creepy sex dream the night before.  Actually, I take that back, assuming you were trying to relay the ancient wisdom that any woman wearing a corset possesses magical powers.  Was that Confucius?

Should I/Shouldn’t I: If you see this movie, see it in a theater.  It’s beautiful enough to warrant a large screen, and there isn’t much else out there if you’re craving a magical adventure.  However, I advise you to temper your expectations.  You’ll enjoy the movie, but you won’t love it.  It won’t become a classic like its predecessor, and Franco’s performance pales in comparison to that of Judy Garland (Liza Minnelli’s mama).  If you can’t make it to the theater, don’t waste your money on the Blu-Ray.  You’re better off waiting for the film adaptation of Wicked.

Sundae Rating: Two scoops