The Pink Panther 2 Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Perhaps we shouldn't expect anything from a movie about a shopaholic, but this comedy's ditzy heroine and silly story can't even compare to other notable films in the romcom genre. In her review, Jette Kernion said: "Confessions of a Shopaholic tries to have it all ... Unfortunately, it's never as good as the movies it tries to imitate." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.

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Inkheart
Yet another film in Brendan Fraser's ever-growing collection of familial adventure. (Will he ever leave it behind and return to his dramatic roots?) Nick Schager describes the film as "a scattered collection of ideas, most of them cavalierly mixed together and barely fleshed out." Skip it. Also on Blu-ray.

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The Pink Panther 2
It might not seem possible, but as Eric D. Snider wrote in his review of the Steve Martin-starring sequel: "Despite being a sequel that is completely unnecessary, The Pink Panther 2 is actually better than its predecessor," and "It has several funny sequences and a general tone of good-natured frivolity." When fluffy fun is on the agenda, Rent it. Also on Blu-ray.

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Phoebe in Wonderland
Tim Burton's spin on Alice in Wonderland is quickly coming our way. But for now, there's the Elle Fanning-starring tale of a girl trying to find her place in real life. Kim Voynar said: "there are so many rich layers to explore in this carefully crafted story; it's rather like a kaleidoscope, in that what you see and get out of it shifts and changes depending on which character's perspective you're looking at, and what ideas you bring to watching it." Rent it.

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Also out: The Code, Bob Funk, Dragon Hunters, Table for Three, Mr. Troop Mom, Simon Says, Legend of the Bog, Backwoods, He's On My Mind, War Wolves

Paul Blart finally fell out of the number one spot, but he didn't go far. He's still clinging to second place like it's a runaway shoplifter, though with four new releases this week his time in the top five may be over. Liam Neeson's kidnapping thriller Taken took top honors, with the second highest grossing Super Bowl weekend opening in history, trailing behind last year's Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert. The new scare flick The Uninvited took third with the Reneé Zellweger romantic comedy New in Town taking seventh place with a mere $6.7 million. Here's the top five:

1. Taken: $24.7 million
2. Paul Blart: Mall Cop: $13.8 million
3. The Uninvited: $10.3 million
4. Hotel for Dogs: $8.6 million
5. Gran Torino: $8.2 million

Four new releases and there's a double dose of Dakota.

Coraline
What's It All About: Based on a book by renowned fantasy writer Neil Gaiman and directed by Henry Selick (who helmed The Nightmare Before Christmas and James and the Giant Peach), this stop-motion animated feature tells the story of a young girl who discovers a parallel world she likes much better than her normal, mundane existence. Voice talent includes Dakota Fanning, Ian McShane, and Teri Hatcher.
Why It Might Do Well: Personally, the participation of Gaiman and Selick has me sold on this one. The way-cool trailer and 80% rating at Rottentomatoes.com are just icing on the cake.
Why It Might Not Do Well: The story may be too dark for younger kids.
Number of Theaters: 2,100
Prediction: $12 million

A confession: I have a downright unnatural willingness to laugh at a) people falling down, and b) people being hit by things. I think it's among the highest forms of humor. So it shouldn't surprise you to learn that I consider The Pink Panther -- the Peter Sellers version -- a national treasure. It may surprise you a bit more to learn that I thought the 2006 Steve Martin/Shawn Levy version was reasonably watchable. But, I mean, what did you expect from someone who adores a well-timed pratfall?

Sony has posted a teaser for the sequel here. The Pink Panther 2 is directed by Harald Zwart (Agent Cody Banks and the underrated One Night at McCool's), and has Steve Martin's Inspector Clouseau team up with a bunch of similarly bumbling international detectives to track down a thief of historical artifacts. In addition to the first film's Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer, it will also co-star Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina, Aishwarya Rai, and John Cleese (who's taking over for Kevin Kline). I don't know how I feel about Clouseau being placed among similar nincompoops -- part of the franchise's appeal is the way its protagonist is sort of an island of incompetence. But the teaser did get a chuckle out of me, if only for the look on Martin's face after pronouncing "Well then, I'll just go back home."

Did I mention that I also find bad French accents very funny?

Let me get this right out of the way -- I chose not to watch The Pink Panther (remake, was it?) when it hit theaters back in 2006. As a major fan of comedy, the original Panther flicks directed by Blake Edwards and featuring Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau are, in my mind, comedic masterpieces (with A Shot in the Dark being my favorite). From time to time I'll take in the occasional remake (and, more often, sequel), but there are some films I refuse to go near. Not because they look bad, or because people tell me they're bad -- I choose not watch them simply because I don't want the film to tarnish the awesome feelings I associate with the original work. Thus, I stayed far away from The Pink Panther (starring Steve Martin), so I will not use this space to rip apart a film I did not see.

Instead, I'll bring you news (via The Hollywood Reporter) that Harald Zwart has been tapped to direct The Pink Panther 2 for Columbia Pictures and MGM. The good news? Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel were brought on to rewrite the script; these are the two responsible for gems like Gung Ho, City Slickers and Parenthood. So, knowing they're involved should help boost some confidence. Zwart was the man behind Agent Cody Banks and One Night at McCool's, but let's not hold that against him. Steve Martin will once again return to play Inspector Clouseau, and this time it appears he teams up with a bunch of moronic European detectives to try to stop a massive crime wave. No word on a release date, but the powers that be are eying an August production start.