Maine news, sports, weather from Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram, Portland, Maine
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Deals
Maine Yellow Pages
Movie Review: 'Cats & Dogs' has one new trick: 3D
By RICK BENTLEY McClatchy Newspapers
"Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" is a sequel to "Cats & Dogs," a movie released nine years ago. Considering how bad the follow-up film is, they should have waited another nine -- or 90 -- years.
REVIEW
“CATS & DOGS: THE REVENGE OF KITTY GALORE,” with the voices of James Marsden, Bette Midler, Christina Applegate, Nick Nolte. Directed by Brad Peyton. Rated PG for action scenes. Running time: 1:22.
In a world where cats and dogs battle crime, bumbling police dog Diggs (voiced by James Marsden) is recruited by a secret dog spy organization to help stop the evil Kitty Galore (Bette Midler). Diggs must work with his natural enemy, the feline spy Catherine (Christina Applegate) to complete the mission.
Anyone who was born after the original movie will probably find the kitties and doggies cute. Others will be faced with a movie that lacks originality.
Writers Ron J. Friedman and Steve Bencich have made a career out of animal scripts with "Chicken Little," "Brother Bear" and "Open Season." All three of those had focus. The stories were funny enough to entertain kids -- but smart enough to keep adults from getting bored.
With this sequel, the James Bond and "Silence of the Lambs" references fall flat, especially because we've seen those movies parodied before.
First-time film director Brad Peyton needed a better script. He doesn't have the skills to make the movie visually interesting enough to overcome the unimaginative storyline.
Even the voice talent is uninspired, except for Nick Nolte as Butch, the haggard dog who ends up recruiting Diggs. The worst is Midler, whose Kitty Galore sounds like a bad Eartha Kitt impersonation.
The only reason "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore" is not a direct-to-DVD release is that it was shot in 3-D. That means it's not only a bad film, but it will cost you extra to see it.
That's like getting bit by a dog and then finding out it has rabies.
Tweet
Most...
Blogs
Poortland PicksMore »
Greendrinks and a songwriters showcase
There may not be much snow to speak of in these parts, but the winter white stuff is usually stacked pretty high in North Dakota.Face the MusicMore »
From London to New York: Cariad Harmon Tonight at Blue
'Round eight o'clock tonight there's only one place I want to be and that's BLUE (650A Congress...
Copyright ©2012 MaineToday Media, Inc.
Further Discussion
Here at PressHerald.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include: