Kevin James in "Paul Blart: Mall Cop"
courtesy of Sony Home Entertainment
“Paul Blart – The Real Mall Cop”

When it came to the battle of the “mall cops” Kevin James’ Paul Blart made mincemeat of Seth Rogen’s Ronnie Barnhart (“Observe and Report”). Anyone who saw both movies knows it was no contest. Good solid humor wins out over dark comedy just about every time, and Paul Blart is a very funny man in a very funny film.

James shines in everything he does and when I saw him in the film “Hitch” I knew he was a talent to be reckoned with. He seemed to have an easy air about him and could portray sentiment without being fake or cloying. I had never watched his sitcom “The King of Queens” but I knew it was a popular show and figured the success was due to his involvement. Now James has a movie out on DVD that is all about his talent and it is a smash. “Paul Blart: Mall Cop” is destined to pull you in for more than one viewing.

Paul Blart (James) wants to be a state trooper but he has hyperglycemia (a sugar deficit) that causes him to pass out at inopportune times. He takes the next best job and that is mall cop for a huge mall in New Jersey. He considers his job to be important and takes his duties very seriously.

At home his mother (Shirley Knight) and daughter Maya (Raini Rodriguez) urge him to go on the internet and sign up for a dating service. Reluctantly he does. Down deep however he is attracted to a girl who works in the mall. She has a kiosk where she sells wigs and hair extensions. Her name is Amy (Jayma Mays) and she is friendly but not overly so.

One night the mall is taken over by robbers and it is up to Paul to save the day. Can he rise to the occasion? Well Kevin James did co-write the script and he is the star, so what do you think?

James is the most enjoyable factor of the success of “Paul Blart” but he is also its deficit. He goes to extremes to make Blart a good-hearted everyday guy and then takes him to the extremes in certain situations. At any given moment Blart can be a real smart guy while at others he is dumb and dumber. Some occurrences are deadly serious while others are totally over the top.

In one scene he is trying to pull a three hundred pound friend into an air shaft. Come on we all know that is not going to happen. And then there are the crooks. Are they friendly bad guys or unfriendly good guys? There is something off kilter as they never just take out their guns and shoot Blart.

Kids will love the chubby cop who saves the day, and adults are going to laugh at the physical humor James puts on display. But all are going to groan at some of the unrealities shown in this “Die Hard: The Comic Version.”

Bobby Cannavale, Mays, Keir O’Donnell and all the rest of the actors involved support James and present him in the best light. James is the star and the reason the movie succeeds or fails. And watching this DVD I think he succeeds more than he fails.

The “Underworld” series has been successful thanks mostly to the star power of Kate Beckinsale. But for the prequel to the series “Underworld: Rise of the Lycans” Beckinsale is MIA. This would have probably meant I would not be interested in seeing this latest installment but then I learned Rhona Mitra is the female star of the film, now on DVD. If anyone can replace Kate it is Rhona.

Once again the plot deals with the war between the vampires and the werewolves. Michael Sheen plays the leader of the werewolves who does battle with Bill Nighy who plays the leader of the vampires. Mitra plays Sheen’s lover.

It is once again good fun and excitement as the vampires and werewolves go at it. You find yourself rooting for the werewolves but just because Mitra is one of them. So if this movie is your kind of guilty pleasure then race out and get it today.

One of the most popular shows on HBO last season was “True Blood.” It too is about vampires and is based on the books by Charlaine Harris and tells the story of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin).

This is an adult series and a great one. Paquin and company are fascinating to watch and the storylines are totally entertaining. Get the DVD “True Blood: The Complete First Season” and watch the whole first season of the series from beginning to end. Then get ready for the second season to start on HBO.

You also get a ton of “extras” that give more insight into “vampire life.” This is a DVD you don’t want to miss.

“Hatching Pete” and “Dadnapped” are both included on one DVD as a double feature. Both movies have been shown on the Disney Channel and were very popular. “Pete” stars Jason Dolley and Mitchel Musso. Musso plays a teenager who is trying to carry on the family tradition of playing the “chicken” school mascot. But allergies are stopping him.

His friend (Dolley) gets talked into doing it for him but keeping his identity a secret. As the “chicken” gains popularity the impersonator longs for some recognition. Should he take off his mask and reveal himself or not? That is the question.

In Dadnapped” a teenage girl (Emily Osment) has to compete with her father’s fictional son. Neil (George Newburn) is a writer of novels. His biggest success has come with stories about a teenage spy.

When Dad gets kidnapped it is up to his real daughter and not his fictional son to rescue him. Is she up to the task? Well that is what the movie is all about. And since Osment has been playing second fiddle to Miley Cyrus for years, she does everything to save the day and make the film fun.

Also available from Disney this week are (1) The Tortoise and the Hare (2) Wind in the Willows (3) The Reluctant Dragon (4) Imagination Movers, and (5) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey’s Big Splash. All of these movies are guaranteed to keep your kids entertained in the Disney way. There are fun stories, songs, and games. Get all of them to enhance your kids’ summer fun.

Corin Nemec, Edward Furlong, Lacey Chabert, Andy Dick and Jason Mewes star in the DVD “High Hopes.” It is all about a guy and his friends who want get a movie made. They plan for it to star the girlfriend of one of the guys but then the couple break up. Now they have to come up with another scheme and this one involves stealing marijuana. It seems in this movie the emphasis is on the “high” in “High Hopes.”

The movie isn’t the greatest but the cast has a lot of fun. So their enthusiasm is infectious. That goes a long way in a film like this one.
 

 

 

 

 

©2009 Jackie K. Cooper

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