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Home , American Reunion, Amy Acker, Chris Klein (actor), Jason Biggs, Jennifer Coolidge, Natasha Lyonne

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2012 A5

THE ADVOCATE-MESSENGER WWW.AMNEWS.COM THE NEXT 72 HOURS

Photo/Hopper Stone Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas, far left), Jim (), Stifler (), Oz () and Finch () are together again in “.” ‘American Reunion’ is more of the same

In the scripting them to react in MOVIE THEATER unexpected ways. e — REVIEW BY LISA MILLER — best example finds Stifler reintroduced to a past sex- AMERICAN REUNION ual partner who has (2012/C-/Directed by Jon Hur- changed in more ways witz, /Star- than Stifler could predict. ring Jason Biggs, , In another, Jim is pursued , Seann William by a lusty 18-year-old Scott, Chris Klein, Thomas Ian local girl. He does his best Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, to resist her advances, but Ali Cobrin, , Mean Su- his situation becomes vari, , Jennifer precarious when she Coolidge/Universal/Rated winds up in his car, both R/Comedy/113 minutes topless and passed out. For those wondering Despite its collection of what ever happened to embarrassing and/or awk- the “American Pie” gang ward situations, the film is of 1999, this fourquel finds surprisingly short on both its membership attending laughs and heart — the their 13th high school re- latter showing up briefly union. e gathering is an during Levy’s scenes as excuse for pals Jim (Jason Jim’s dad. Levy rises above Biggs), Oz (Chris Klein), the lackluster script with Kevin (omas Ian exquisite comic timing, Nicholas), Finch (Eddie and an ability to convey a Kaye omas) and Stifler range of unwritten emo- (Seann William Scott) to tions. revisit their carefree youth Meanwhile, much of — though the experience the film focuses on Jim’s isn’t quite the same. Stifler’s mom and Jim’s dad ( and Eugene Levy) hit it off at a party in “American Reunion.” dull marital troubles, and Scatalogical gags and complications arising off-color sexual humor (Alyson Hannigan) are of his youth, and a chip off be a free-spirited, world lonely. He repeatedly from his failure to confide mark a return to the for- still married, but follow- the old mom-block, as traveler. turns down Dad’s request in his long-suffering wife. mula carrying the first ing the birth of their 2- personified by Jennifer Each of the guys mis- to spend time together so When we met them as three films to box office year-old son, became Coolidge playing his hot- represents himself to his Jim can hang with his youths, the inability of Jim success, while simultane- sexless as a couple. Oz is a to-trot mamma. Relegated pals, but we learn through pals, but inadvertently and to communi- ously underscoring the minor celebrity, but the to the fringes of the story, the action that no one is helps dad out when he cate with females was hu- film’s point: We grow strain of living with a shal- Kevin allows his reality without regrets. brings the old man to Sti- morous, but finding them older, but frequently, not low, young model is be- show obsessed-wife to e film is most con- fler’s party. to still be the dumbest wiser. ginning to show. schedule their lives cerned with Jim, who wor- e paper-thin story guys in the room 10 years Jim and high school Meanwhile, Stifler is the around “e Housewives ries that his widower works best when placing later holds little amuse- sweetheart Michelle same clueless hound-dog of...” and Finch claims to father (Eugene Levy) is its characters in crisis, and ment value.

N WSHOWING Previews of WHAT’S NEW in theaters this weekend MOVIE PREVIEWS Anne-Solenne Hatte/FilmDistrict/Rated PG-13/Sci- doorstep of an orphanage run by nuns. As adults, the invading law enforcement officers in bloody, sur- Fi/95 minutes): “Lockout’s” futuristic plot essentially the trio stay on as inept maintenance men. When real confrontations. Our hero is Rama (Iko Uwais), a (2011/Consensus remakes “Escape From New York,” and proves to be they learn financial difficulties threaten to close the rookie cop determined to fulfill his duty, while simul- rating: A-/Directed by Drew Goddard/Starring a terrific star vehicle for Guy Pearce. The plays only home they’ve ever known, the guys decide it’s taneously protecting his criminal brother, holed up Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Chris Hemsworth, Snow, a government agent known as a loose can- their turn to come to the rescue. Along the way, somewhere in the building. There’s little plot to fill Kristen Connolly, Jesse Williams, Anna Hutchison, non and framed for a national security crime he did- Larry, Moe and Curly stumble into a murder plot, the story out, but the adrenaline-soaked fight scenes Fran Kranz, Brian White, Amy Acker/Lionsgate/Rated n’t commit. Snow is offered one chance to avoid become involved with the cast of “Jersey Shore,” go where Hollywood dare not tread. R/Horror/95 minutes): By turns shocking, frightening lifelong imprisonment provided he rescues the presi- and are soon starring in their own reality TV series. and funny, this effort navigated an ob- dent’s daughter Emile (Grace), taken hostage during The Farrellys and their duplicate the trio’s sig- MOVIE SHORTS stacle course, changing studios on its way to produc- a riot on board an Earth-orbiting prison known as nature finger-poking, head bonking and nyuk-nyuk- tion. What sounds like a rote horror rises above MS-1. A wisecracking cynic, Snow’s sarcasm allows nyuking, but the 90-minute runtime means stuffing AMERICAN REUNION (2012/C-/Directed by genre limitations with its surprise twists. Plans to Pearce to stretch his repertoire. Once Snow locates the film with too many characters and too much Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg/Starring Jason frolic at a remote cabin in the woods are waylaid Emile, the race is on to sneak her past the inmates plot. Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Chris when a group of students is attacked by mysterious and onto a life pod to escape before the prison is THE RAID: REDEMPTION (2011/limited re- Klein, Tara Reid, Natasha Lyonne/Universal/Rated assailants. The young people consist of a demure girl blown up. Complications are everywhere, though lease/Consensus rating: B/Directed by Gareth R/Comedy/110 minutes): Set 13 years after the origi- (Connolly), her football jock boyfriend (Hemsworth), few prove more daunting than Emile herself, who is Evans/Starring Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim, Doni Alamsya, nal “American Pie,” the threequel finds the guys and a comical pothead (Kranz), a blonde bimbo (Hutchi- a stubborn do-gooder, making Snow’s job even Yayan Ruhian, Pierre Gruno, Ray Sahetapy, Tegar some of their galpals gathering for their high school son), and a nerdy black guy (Williams). The film more difficult. Satrya, Iang Darawan, Verdi Solaiman/Sony Clas- reunion. While the series doesn’t abandon the gross- opens with a conversation between a pair of scien- THE THREE STOOGES (2012/Predicted rating: sics/Rated R/Action, Indonesian, English subtitles/101 out comedy its fans have rightly come to expect, it tists (Jenkins and Whitford) discussing America’s po- C/Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly/Starring Sean minutes): Sparse, English subtitles rarely interfere tackles serious issues as well as putting the failures sition in the global arms race. What role these men Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, Will Sasso, Jane with following this film’s nonstop action. Hand-to- and successes of their youthful hopes and dreams in play in the action adds another layer to the puzzle. Lynch/Fox/Rated PG/Comedy/92 minutes): Brothers hand combat, featuring machetes, swords and vari- perspective. Old romances bloom yet again, while LOCKOUT (2012/Consensus rating: B-/Directed Bobby and Peter Farrelly attempt to retool “The ous martial arts styles, flesh out violence that results Jim, now married, gets caught up with an 18-year- by James Mather, Stephen St. Leger/Starring Guy Three Stooges” for the 21st century while remaining when 20 cops raid a 15-story apartment fortress old hottie. Meanwhile, his widower dad discovers Pearce, Maggie Grace, Peter Stormare, Vincent true to the original group’s slapstick humor. As new- housing Indonesia’s most notorious crime lord. Ten- love, or at least lust, is still on the old man’s agenda Regan, Lennie James, Joseph Gilgun, Jacky Ido, borns, the three brothers are dropped on the ants consist of assorted criminals itching to put down when an attractive potential partner comes along.