D2 | Thursday, July 26, 2018 |HoustonChronicle.com and chron.com |Houston Chronicle HH STAR Senior Editor, [email protected] @MelissAguilar HoustonChronicleLife&Entertainment FILM REVIEW ‘Teen Titans’ is funny, but presumes too much By Carla Meyer ‘Teen Titans Go! CONTRIBUTOR to theMovies’ Sometimes hilarious, oft- RatedPG: foraction times presumptuous, “Teen and rude humor Titans Go! to the Movies” plays Running time: 92 minutes likea90-minute advertisement xxx for the DC Comics universe to whichits young,animated protagonists belong. Comics’ hero origin stories. But Thestoryhinges on the Ti- younger audience members tans’ (from Cartoon Network’s likelywill not getthis humor, “Teen Titans Go!” series)ef- either. forts to getablockbuster movie “Teen Titans” neverreaches made about themselves. thatsweet spot where adult Teen crimefighters Raven and kid humor align in asingle (voiced by Tara Strong), Beast gag. It’s the spot Pixar movies Boy(Greg Cipes), Cyborg(Kha- always reach,and that“The ry Payton), Starfire (Hynden Lego Batman Movie”–asimi- Walch) and especiallyself- larly in-jokey film centered on a involved Titans leaderRobin DC character —hit as well. (Scott Menville)—one-time It comes close with Slade Batman sidekick, still afull- (LegoBatman Will Arnett, time twerp —wanttobetaken Warner Bros. Pictures going villainous here), awould- seriously as superheroes. The “Teen Titans Go!tothe Movies”makes fun of boththe DC and Marvel comic book universes. be evil mastermind whodress- waytodothis, according to the es likeDeadpool and resents all film, is to be the subject of a comparisons to Deadpool. Ar- big-budget movie,likethe Ti- They don’t. Children at a would indicate thatcomic-book ber “UpbeatInspirational Song nett out-smarms Ryan Rey- tans’ DC stablemates Batman, recent“Teen Titans” screening films’ takeoverofHollywood is About Life.” Meantasparody, nolds (not easy) andadds his Superman and Wonder Woman hadtoask their parents what nowcomplete,and kindergart- the song leaveseveryone in the signature undercurrents of have been. “DC”is. Then one asked“Who ners understand studio politics audience feeling good. danger and insecurity.Slade is So the movie is meta, and is he?” when Marvel legend by osmosis. Directed by Aaron Horvath goofy enoughtoentertain kids in-jokey and irritating in pre- Stan Leemade one of his trade- Yo ungsters still can enjoy (also aco-screenwriter)and and clever enoughtointrigue suming thatthe 4-year-olds markcameos —this time in “Teen Titans” for itsabundant Peter Rida Michail, “Teen Ti- adults, but he is more dastardly whocome to see aPG-rated animated form, in aDCmovie. scatological humor —comedy tans” contains some trulyin- than funny. film will understand jokes Thekids’ cluelessness was gold to a5-year-old —and spired comic moments, mostof based on DC’s professional heartening.Ifthey hadun- catchy,1980s musical homages, them poking fun at the more Carla MeyerisaNorthern rivalrywithMarvel. derstood the insider jokes it including the synth-ladennum- ridiculous elements of DC California freelance writer. Film’s characters are ‘a gumbo of people we grewupwith’ Film from page D1 thatIthink is hot, and will you In addition to bringing up come readit?’Ifyou’reanart- issues of gentrification, “Blind- “A round the time thatwe ist, we allhavebeen involved spotting”offers three-dimen- were beginning to conceive of with or have friends make sional portraits of people of the film waswhen the Oscar thingsthatwethought were color,something thatisbecom- Grantshooting happened,” worthyathousand times and ing less of ararity than it used Casal says during aphone in- nobodycares. We assumed this to be.“We have agreater vari- terview, referring to the 2009 wouldn’t be anydifferent.” ety (ofimages),” Diggs says. killing of African-American “That’swhatit’sreallyall Grantbyawhite police officer Gentrification nation about. This is also thanksto in Oakland thatbecame the EventhoughOakland is now the opening-upofhouses for basis for the film “Fruitvale on screen in multiplexes all content. Yo ufeel it so palpably Station.” “A lot of the conversa- overthe world, Diggs and Casal in L.A. now, compared to five tion we were having washow a aren’t worried about their mov- or six years ago. People are so shooting likethatwas affecting ie helping to makethe city even content-hungrybecause there the city,less trying to focus on more gentrified than it already are so manyoutlets, they are the shooting itself but more on is. having trouble filling them. what does thatdotoacommu- “I don’tknowifyou can have “Ifyou’reafilmmaker of nity. much more,” Diggs says with a color,every time youdisplaya “The early catalystand con- laugh. black person, youdon’t have to versations around police shoot- “Whatmay happen is people feel likethey are responsible ingsevolved over the lastde- whohaverecentlymovedthere for the entire storyofthe com- cade in differentways, butwe mayget adifferentunderstand- munity,” he continues. “You were always coming back to ing of what Oakland is from can have an individual. There’s howdoes this shooting affect PeterPrato /New York Times the people whohavebeenthere enoughvariety for us to be twocharacters who(would be) RafaelCasal, left,and Daveed Diggs star in “Blindspotting.” along time,” Casal says.“It’s specific and interesting and not our windowsintoachanging not going to slow down gentri- have everybodybeconcerned landscape of Oakland.” fication, and Idon’t knowthat’s with the well-being of an entire Butdon’t makethe mistake Thetwo firstran across each win and youwantthe project to the pointorthe jobof(the mov- race.” of thinking the twomen in the other in highschool but didn’t win,” Casal, 32,adds. ie), but what is problematic No matter how“Blindspot- story, Collin and Miles, and reallystart hanging out until Diggs’“Hamilton”break- about gentrification is howlittle ting”ends up faring at thebox their cross-racial friendshipare after collegewhen each was throughhappened without it acknowledges the people it’s office,itprobablywon’t be the justDaveedand Rafaeltrans- involved in hip-hop. “I came Casal, but he says it still all happening on top of,and this is lastaudiences hear from Diggs ferred to screen. “They are sort back (toOakland), and Rafael came down to friendship. “That astoryabout those people. and Casal. of compilations of people we wasrunning astudio in north wasanother friend of mine; Lin “Ifpeople coming into Oak- “We’vehad so manyideas for grewuparound and stories Oakland,” Diggs,36, recalls. (Manuel Miranda)and Ihad land or Detroit or Atlanta, or so long,and nowwe’regetting from friends,” Diggs says. “Some mutual friends played been friends for eight or nine anyother place where this is the opportunity to put them in “They’re not us, but their dy- our music for each other and years at thatpoint by the time happening at arapid pace,can frontofpeople and put them in namic between each other is sort of set up aplaydateinthe we started workshopping have some understanding of development,” Casal says. based on our own. Thechem- studio.Iwentoverthere,and ‘Hamilton,’ ”Diggs says.“He whotheir neighbors are and “We’regoing to be doing more istryisours, but the specificity we stayed up all night and askedmetocome readhis play, what their neighborhood is, of what we’vebeen doing,ex- of them is justagumbo of peo- made songs.And thatwas it for and Isaid, ‘Yeah.’ that’sgood. With empathyand cept nowithas eyes.” ple we grewupwith.” me.Iwas like,‘This is whoI “Three or four years later,I understanding comes respect. Diggs laughs then says,“If work with now.’” wonaTony.None of those were Alot of gentrification is about a people let us, youwill getsick Metinhighschool “Whatyou getwhen you intended consequences. The lack of respect. If anything,I of us.” There’s alot of chemistry collaborate with your closest intended consequences were, hope it movesthe narrative in there. friend is youwanttosee them ‘Myfriend wrote something the right direction.” [email protected] Americans eat200 more calories than they should per day Americans from page D1 2006,when NewYorkCity cording to the Centers for Dis- Public Interest, shehelped Amelie Ramirez, director passed the country’sfirstmenu ease Control and Prevention, convince then-New Yo rk City of the Institute for Health plate of chickenand shrimp labeling law. Twoyearslater, 39.8 percentofusqualified as MayorMichael Bloombergto Promotion ResearchatUT carbonara at theOlive Garden California passed asimilar law, obese in 2015-16,upfrom 32 pass thatcity’smenulaw and Health San Antonio.“Butfrom has awhopping 1,590 calories and since then, anumber of percentin2003-04. Being over- led the effort thatresulted in apublic health standpoint, it’s —three-quarters of the daily states and localities have weight increases riskofheart the federal lawthatrecently big.” recommended calorie intakefor passed their ownrequirements. disease,diabetes, manycancers went into effect. Especiallysince,asexperts mostwomen. Then, in May, afederal law and other chronic illnesses. “People have aright to know say, the obesity epidemic is Roberta Anding remembers thatoriginated with the Afford- And second, we’reincreas- what’s in their food,” shesaid. caused by people eating an being in ahotel restaurant able Care Actwentintoeffect. ingly getting the food we eat “They have aright to know, for average of only200 more calo- thinking about ordering aspin- In addition to restaurants, the from restaurants.In2015, example,thatthe huge tubof ries than they should per day. ach and strawberrysalad.