cheaper by the dozen Tagged Articles at Cinematical

When I hear mention of filmmaker Shawn Levy, the first person I think about is Portland film critic Shawn Levy, who once penned a rather amusing article on how they're not the same person. Beyond that, if I give the phrase "filmmaker Shawn Levy" any additional thought I immediately think of Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen and The Pink Panther -- and that just makes me appreciate the other Shawn Levy even more because his output is actually pretty funny. (The director Levy also has Night at the Museum coming up, so he's got at least one more shot at making A good movie.)

Ah, but wait. According to Variety, the Hollywood Levy has just signed a pair of deals, one with Universal to helm an adaptation of Alex Williams' The Talent Thief and one with Fox to direct something called Father Figure, which is being described as a drama with comic elements. (Because we all know how adept Shawn Levy is with those "comic elements.") That one scene in Cheaper by the Dozen when all the kids threw food? Masterful.

Levy is also expected to return to direct a Pink Panther sequel, but not until he gets a look at the final script -- which makes one wonder if he also approved the final drafts of Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen and The Pink Panther.

So basically, one Shawn Levy's career just took a huge leap upwards, while another Shawn Levy's career just got a little bit more difficult.

• Æon Flux - This empty sci-fi flick's listing on IMDB.com is loaded with glowing user endorsements, leading everyone else who has seen it to believe that either drugs were involved in forming these opinions, the Pod People took these users over or an army of undercover PR lackeys is spinning overtime. This cinematic equivalent of a bronzed cow pie, an unimaginative Logan's Run pretender set 400 years in the future after a global plague, stars Charlize Theron as a rebel trying to take down the corrupt government of Bregna, the only city on Earth. From the way-lazy back story title cards and opening narration to the silly costumes to the cartoonish action sequences to the awful deadpan performances, this should be called Peed-On, Sux. Maybe Theron's mother needed an operation or something, but this is a very bad and brainless example of sci-fi, a puffed-up issue movie that ultimately offers nothing but regret. Instead, check out creator Peter Chung's original, pre-anime craze animated MTV series, which was released on DVD late last year.