Alexa Vega talks the Spy Kids films on Blu-ray

The original Spy Kids trilogy has come to Blu-ray packed with family fun, slick special effects and bonus features. The films’ effects have aged a tad over the years, but they are just as entertaining and a fun way to spend an evening with the kids.

Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez (The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Sin City), the Spy Kids films feature star-studded casts that include Antonio Banderas (Desperado), Alexa Vega (Twister) and Carla Gugino (Sucker Punch) plus guest appearances by Teri Hatcher (TV's "Desperate Housewives"), Steve Buscemi (Big Fish), Sylvester Stallone (Rocky), Salma Hayek (Frida), Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy) and Cheech Marin (Cars).
Combined, these family-friendly films have grossed more than $300 million at the U.S. box office. Each Blu-ray is loaded with bonus materials that include numerous featurettes, audio commentaries, music videos, behind-the-scenes and more.

Spy Kids - Masters of disguise, innovators of invention, and superstars of sleuthing, Gregorio (Banderas) and Ingrid (Gugino) are the best secret agents on Earth. Working for rival nations, they are sent to kill each other but instead fall in love. Now proud parents, they are called back into duty nine years later when their former colleagues start vanishing one by one thanks to evil genius Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming). But when they too disappear, there are only two people in the world who can rescue them...their kids! This high-octane adventure from director Robert Rodriguez is a must-see for everyone in the family.

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams -The pint-sized spy siblings are back in action! Having joined the family spy business, Juni (Daryl Sabara) and Carmen (Alexa Vega) rise up to save the planet from a mad scientist (Buscemi) living on a remote island populated by all kinds of dangerous, crazy creatures. As this bizarre environment wreaks havoc on their gadgets, the Spy Kids must rely on their smarts - and each other - to save the day!

Spy Kids 3: Game Over -The Spy Kids have entered a new dimension that will test their abilities like never before! Under-age agents Juni (Sabara) and Carmen (Vega) embark on their most mind-blowing mission yet: the journey inside a virtual-reality video game world designed to disorient them. Relying on their bravery, cool gadgets, lightning-quick reflexes - and, most importantly, their family - the Spy Kids must battle through level after level of the game as they race against the clock to save the world yet again from a new megalomaniacal villain, the Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone).

Monsters and Critics was lucky enough to get a quick few comments via e-mail from superspy Alexa Vega about her experiences making the first three Spy Kids films, what the films mean to her, and what fans can expect from the new Spy Kids film

When you were making the first Spy Kids films, did you have any idea that they would become a big franchise and be this big a part of your young acting life?

Vega: We all knew that Spy Kids was something really cool and special, but we went into filming this movie without any expectations. We were just little kids having a good time. And when the film took off and people responded to it the way they did... I think we were just proud to be a part of something so cool and special.

From day 1, it was such a truly innocent and genuine excitement to be playing those characters. And it only made it that much better when everyone enjoyed it as much as we did.

Is it still your most recognizable role and how do you feel about the way the films helped launch a genre of kid-spy action movies that followed?

Vega: Carmen is a character that gets a lot of young kids excited. But Carmen is a brunette and I am naturally a blonde! So when I have my blonde hair I can be somewhat incognito. But it is so fun to see little kids recognize me as Carmen. Their eyes light up and right away they want to know where Juni is!!!
We have created this world that (to them) is this really cool reality. I think in some ways these characters give kids a drive to go out and want to do something. We aren't adults saving the world and doing great things. Carmen and Juni were just normal kids. It's great when kids can look up to other kids.

What was working with Robert Rodriguez like and how did his directing style change as you made the sequels?

Vega: Robert is the coolest director out there. He is so low key and has such an eye for everything that he does. I don't think his directing style has changed. He has always been so creative and confident as a director. He has always given us a solid path to follow.

Did you have the opportunity to learn from some of the acting legends in the films – such as Cheech Marin, Ricardo Montalban, Antonio Banderas, and Carla Gugino?

Vega: We were so lucky to have worked with the caliber of actors that were in these films. But when you’re kids... You don't appreciate it the way you do when you are older. I look back on that experience and think "Wow, we worked with Steve Buscemi!!!" It is just so cool.

With acting at such a young age, did you have any difficulty working around the special effects? Even the most veteran actors can sometimes struggle with working against a green screen or acting to a tennis ball, how did you get around the acting with stuff that isn’t actually there?

Vega: I started acting when I was four... And when you start at that age you don't really think of anything as being "difficult". It’s just all fun and good learning experiences. So by the time Spy Kids rolled around and we were working with even more special effects than the other films... I think we were ready. All the stunts and special effects were so fun!

One of the best aspects of the Spy Kid films is the fact that the kids save the day. How important do you think it is to have smart kids full of confidence (and with the latest high tech gadgets) be the ones saving the world rather than the adult heroes doing it?

Vega: Robert did something so cool and so different by making a movie where kids save the day. Usually, the heroes of films are adults. Like Super Man or James Bond... But when kids have other kids to look up to I think it empowers them. It gives them a drive and hope that they can do something big.
Carmen and Juni started off as ordinary kids and by working together with their family they were able to do great things.

The original three films are making their Blu-ray debut and like most Robert Rodriguez films are coming loaded with special features. Do you have any behind the scenes memories of Rodriguez and co-stars on the set? How actively is he already thinking of what is going on the DVD/Blu-ray when filming a movie?

Vega: There are tons of great memories from this set. We never think "Oh this is going to be great for the DVD extras..." We just had a great time and were normal kids. We'd goof off and play around. What we did never felt like work... We felt like we were at the most extreme version of summer camp. :D

How important are bonus materials on a Blu-ray or DVD to you? And what kind of bonus material do you look for – gag reel, commentary, trailers?

Vega: I really do love all the bonus material. It shows people how much fun we had on set and for us our behind the scenes footage is like our home movie that everyone can be a part of. Plus the gag reels are always hilarious.

Robert Rodriguez also includes cool features like “ten minute film school” or my favorite his “ten minute cooking school”? How good of a cook is he?

Vega: Robert is such a good cook. I think when you grow up in a big family you get plenty of practice at a young age.

When Spy Kids 3 wrapped in 2003, did you think you would be stepping back into Robert Rodriguez’s high tech world of spies again in 2011?

Vega: I had no idea we would be coming back to do another film. It was such a surreal moment walking on to set again for the first time. So many great memories ran through my mind.

How have filming and your approach to the Carmen Cortez character changed since the last time you played her on the screen?

Vega: I talked to Robert to get a feel for what he wanted from Carmen this time around. It helps when you have a director who really knows what he wants from you and the film. He helped guide me through it.

What do you think is the success behind the Spy Kids franchise and its secret to long life?

Vega: These movies are so special and teach kids such wonderful valuable lessons. The importance of family and working together to be able to achieve great things. I think parents love that we empower kids and teach great values.

Is there a chance we will see Carmen Cortez suit up for another adventure for a Spy Kids 5?

Vega: I don't know if this will be the final chapter for Carmen Cortez. It really is up to RR.

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Horror-meister John Carpenter's mediocre comeback

Much of the coverage of John Carpenter's new film, "The Ward" -- or rather "John Carpenter's The Ward," as some of the P.R. material distressingly insists -- revolves around the idea that the legendary horror-meister gets to take a mulligan on this one. Hell, the guy made "Halloween" and "The Thing" (or so the argument seems to go), and we're grateful to have him back making features after a decade-long hiatus, even if the result is a mediocre mental-hospital shocker starring Amber Heard that feels an awful lot like a low-budget knockoff of Zack Snyder's "Sucker Punch."

I'd be happy to go along with that argument, if it made any sense. Unfortunately, "The Ward" fits entirely too well in Carpenter's oeuvre, which is consistently inconsistent. There's no disputing Carpenter's place in the history of horror movies, or his status as a genuine pioneer of American independent filmmaking. When somebody challenged me, a year or so ago, to one of those Facebook exercises where you name the 10 directors most important to you, right off the top of your head without cogitating or Googling, Carpenter made the list. (Along with Wes Craven and Paul Verhoeven and Michael Haneke and David Cronenberg and Tarkovsky and ... let's not get sidetracked, but it's a cool little self-administered personality test.) And it's not like "The Ward" is unbelievably terrible or anything. Hell, go see it, or better yet watch it on pay-per-view: It's a competent horror flick with creepy wide-screen atmospherics, a decent cast and a thoroughly worn-out premise, better than 75 percent of the genre.

But let's not kid ourselves: Carpenter's made a lot of junk over the years, and you could describe his entire career as a competition between brilliant concepts and indifferent execution. I mean, step right up to defend "Ghosts of Mars" and "Vampires" and "Escape From L.A." and "Village of the Damned," which were his last four movies before this one. Anyone? Yes, I hear you mumbling in the back, and it was cool, or halfway cool, to see Carpenter get back together with Kurt Russell's one-eyed Snake Plissken for "Escape From L.A." More accurately, it started out cool and then it got really sloppy, and that's exactly what I'm talking about. Carpenter gets by at least half the time on nifty ideas and half-baked left-wing social philosophy and his total DIY aesthetic (in his glory years, he usually directed, produced, co-wrote the screenplay, composed an electronic score and cast himself in a bit part). He's ambitious without being pretentious, he gets things done (or used to) and he's thoroughly likable. The world could do with more people like that.

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Cars 2

Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine, Emily Mortimer, Eddie Izzard, John Turturro, Joe Mantegna, Franco Nero, Jenifer Lewis, Sig Hansen, Vanessa Redgrave, Cheech Marin

Cars 2 is an independent film having no bearing on the prequel Cars. The action begins at sea amidst sinister oil rigs infiltrated by British spies Finn McMissile (an Aston Martin) and his aide Holley Shiftwell, who use all the weaponry at their disposal — wings, heavy arsenal, and underwater capability — to make a nocturnal escape with their dignity and paint jobs intact. In the American desert, the spiffy red Lightning McQueen is hot-rodding around with his tow-truck friend Mater when he’s persuaded to enter an upcoming series of races in which big shot Land Rover Sir Miles Axlerod hopes to prove the viability of his revolutionary clean fuel Allinol as a substitute for gasoline, which won’t deplete the planet’s shrinking oil reserves. Axelrod wants to prove it in a World Grand Prix to be run in England, Japan and Italy.

The plot highlight is that Lightning McQueen ends up in a championship duel with the Italian driver Francesco Bernoulli. At the same time, Lightning and Mater find themselves in the middle of a clandestine war between the forces of fossil and alternative fuels, involving the British secret agents Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell.

The John Lasseter and Brad Lewis- helmed Cars 2 features a wide range of cars and more action than films like say Fast Five; it is noticeably more rambunctious. The race events sparkle with crowd excitement — spectators of course being cars. No memory of the original is required to get one’s bearings, as this wonderfully designed and animated sequel stands on its own four tires. The voice talents — be it Michael Caine, Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Eddie Izzard in starring roles or Joe Mantegna, Franco Nero and Vanessa Redgrave in a brief sound byte — lend their classic touches to the characters they voice.

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Kids movies: 10 films for $5

See 10 movies for just $5 during UltraStar Cinemas' 2011 Summer Kids' Movie Series. Movies, which are rated G or PG, will be shown at 9:30 a.m. Mondays-Fridays beginning May 23. A different film is featured each week.

Movies include “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Despicable Me.” Choose a day of the week you'd like to attend. Kids 2 and younger under are free.

Tickets are available at the two locations' box offices.

UltraLuxe Scottsdale, at the Pavilions at Talking Stick, 9090 E. Indian Bend Road, Salt River Reservation, Scottsdale, 480-302-6055; and UltraStar Surprise Pointe Cinemas, 13649 N. Litchfield Road, Surprise, 623-584-3884.

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Rio tops North American box office

Animated family comedy Rio has topped the North American box office according to initial figures. The film about a birdnapped macaw, which features the voices of Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway, took $40m (£24.6m) in its first three days.

It was the best opening weekend takings so far this year, beating another animated comedy, Rango, by $2m (£1.2m). Horror sequel Scream 4 - the first film in the franchise for 11 years - entered the chart at two with $19.3m (£11.9m). The movie reunites original cast members Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette.

However box office receipts for the film came in lower than industry expectations, as its previous two movies both managed in excess of $30m (£18.4m) in their opening weekends. A spokesperson for the Weinstein Co said that the long period between films may have affected its takings as the typically young teenage horror fan would have been too young for the franchise the last time around.

Last week's number one film, animated comedy Hop featuring the voice of Russell Brand, fell to number three after two weeks at the top spot. Director Robert Redford's Lincoln-assassination drama The Conspirator was the only other new entry at nine.

It took $3.9m (£2.4m) after a limited release in 707 cinemas, compared to an average 2,900 cinemas for the rest of the top 10. The movie stars Robin Wright and James McAvoy in a courtroom tale of a woman accused of aiding Lincoln assassin John Wilkes Booth.

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Funny Cartoon Movies For Kids

Funny cartoon movies for kids are becoming more and more prevalent these days, as studios are realizing they can make a large amount of money off these films, due to the fact that both parents and kids can attend and be entertained. Due to this, studios like Pixar, Dreamworks and Disney are producing more and more funny cartoon movies for kids to see, hoping to draw in the parents as well.

1. "Up." One of the most original films from Pixar, "Up" is both a funny cartoon movie for kids and a heartfelt story about life for viewers of all ages. A man whose wife dies attaches a ton of balloons to his house which causes it to float away, leading him on an exciting adventure. It's tough to not love a film that makes you feel just about everything.

2. "Surf's Up." A fun, funny cartoon movie for kids about penguins who also surf. In the movie, we go behind-the-scenes of the penguin surfing championships. What's not to love about that?

3. "Ice Age." An original tale about animals who are surviving the Ice Age on Earth, this funny cartoon movie for kids has been so popular that it has spawned a number of hilarious sequels, for parents and their kids alike to love. One of the best parts is the endless quest for a prehistoric squirrel trying to get a precious nut that he has buried.

4. "Shrek." An animated fantasy film that has modern comedy and the voices of stars like Mike Meyers and Eddie Murphy, "Shrek" is one of the highest grossing animated films ever made, spawning numerous sequels, many of which are unwatchable. However, the original is a very good and very funny cartoon movie for kids, even though a large green ogre and a talking donkey are its main characters.

5. "Toy Story." Unlike the "Shrek" series, every "Toy Story" movie has been incredibly well-made on all fronts. This funny cartoon movie for kids follow old toys who are trying to win the affection of their original owner back. But this is what Pixar does, striving for perfection and not a huge return at the box office, or so we are led to believe. "Toy Story" is one of the best funny cartoon movies for kids ever made and the second and third installments are almost as good.

6. "The Incredibles." Another gem from Pixar does their take on the superhero genre, adding all the elements that exist in any film to a wonderfully funny and entertaining story. The story follows a family of superheroes who have since settled down to live the middle-American family life when suddenly they must don their capes and costumes once again. What's even more entertaining is that the kids in the family, even the baby, must get involved and use their super powers to help save the day. This may be the perfect funny cartoon movie for kids.

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Goody on Film: For kids actors, how much is too much?

Is there a limit to what kids can - or, more to the point, should - do in movies? That question may pop up when "Hanna" opens on Friday, April 8. Director Joe Wright's film is tremendously entertaining, in large part because of his star, Saoirse Ronan, who is brilliant as a 16-year-old girl who, well, kills people. Lots of them, without hesitation or remorse.

Part of the conceit of the film is, of course, that she is indeed a kid who is doing this. We are meant to be shocked, and we are. But Ronan is a gifted-enough actress that we feel far more than surprise watching her break necks and fire guns.

Ronan is 16 in real life; she'll turn 17 a few days after the film opens. Certainly the violence she commits in the film makes us uncomfortable, but it's meant to. It would make us uncomfortable if a 35-year-old man was committing it. The effect is just more pronounced when it's a kid.

In this respect it takes us back to "Kick-Ass," in which 13-year-old Chloe Moretz played Hit-Girl, who sliced and diced bad guys in graphic ways while cursing like the proverbial sailor, only more so. This was, to some extent, played for laughs, which maybe makes it a little different, but the question was still asked: Should a kid this age be doing this, even in a fictional movie?

It's a question that people asked in 1976, when Jodie Foster, then 13, appeared in "Taxi Driver" playing a 12-year-old prostitute. (She got a best-supporting-actress Oscar nomination for her troubles.)

It's a tough spot. For realism, certainly, it helps not to have a 22-year-old pretending to be 10 years younger. But does it affect the young women playing the roles? I've spoken to Ronan and Moretz, and both seem like almost scarily well-adjusted kids. So if they - and their parents - are up to the task, sure. Let 'em act.

Speaking of movie violence, the folks at Complex.com have compiled a list of the 50 Most Memorable Movie Assassinations, just in time for the release of "Hanna" (while complaining that, as good as the movie is, Ronan's character kills people but doesn't technically assassinate them).

No. 1 on the list? A surprise, actually: The killing of Tony Montana in "Scarface." He goes down, of course, in a hail of bullets. From the write-up: "The lesson learned here: Don't do drugs. And always keep an M-16 grenade launcher handy."

Noted. It's kind of an odd idea for a list, but it's actually pretty cool once you dig in and start reading; there are some really powerful scenes here. Among the assassinations that make the top 10 are killings in "The Godfather," "Apocalypse Now" and "Malcolm X," among others. Without giving anything else away, I'd vote for their No. 2 as my No. 1; the scene didn't invent operatic violence, but it did perfect it. If you've been missing Arnold Schwarzenegger since he left office as governor of California, you're in luck.

If you haven't been missing him, he's going to be much harder to avoid. In addition to the already-announced "Governator" comic book and TV show he's creating with comic legend Stan Lee, Schwarzenegger is going to make an animated movie about the character, as well, that's scheduled to be released in 2013.

The character, the Governator of the title, is Schwarzenegger himself, fighting evil-doers as a superhero after leaving office. Insert your own budget-cutting jokes here. And then watch the trailer and decide whether you're excited to see Schwarzenegger back onscreen.

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Dear Hollywood, More Smart Kids Movies Please

This weekend, the animated movie Gnomeo and Juliet almost tied with the new film I Am Number Four at the box office. I Am Number Four, a teen sci-fi flick, brought in $19.5 million. Gnomeo and Juliet brought in $19.4 million, according to to Box Office Mojo estimates on Monday. (The Liam Neeson thriller Unknown topped the box office with $21.8 million.)

That’s a pretty impressive showing for Gnomeo, a retelling of the Romeo and Juliet story starring garden gnomes and set the music of Elton John. In its second weekend out, the film dropped only 23%. Compare that to Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never which dropped 54% and Adam Sandler’s Just Go With It which dropped 40%. Gnomeo and Juliet has already brought in $55 million at the box office.

Animated films that are not from DreamWorks or Pixar tend to get dismissed pretty quickly. Last year Despicable Me (from Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures) took everyone by surprise when it earned $527 million at the global box office.

But as a parent of young children I can tell you, I long for children’s movies. I scan the release schedules looking for tiny lifeboats of appealing kids flicks. It’s not that I’m so desperate to get into a theater where I don’t have to talk to my kids. It’s just that I love going to the movies and I love being able to do it with my entire family.

Like most parents, I won’t go see just anything. Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, looked way to dumb to merit me spending any money on it.

But if a film looks halfway decent, I’m there, happily shelling out the money for 3 (non 3-D) tickets, popcorn, candy and drinks.

Gnomeo and Juliet was no Toy Story 3. But it was cute enough. It featured the voices of some of my favorite English actors (including Stephen Merchant and Maggie Smith) and played cleverly with the classic tragic Shakespeare tale. Plus the music was great. So when it was raining out on Saturday and my kids begged to go see it again, I was happy to oblige (at a steep matinee discount). Yup, I saw it twice.

I’m sure I’m not alone. So Hollywood, please, more kids movies with even a tiny bit of smarts. There’s a market out there. We will go. I promise. Every animated movie doesn’t have to be a major event. Just like there are people who will see smart adult films and people who will see female-centric films, don’t underestimate those of us who aren’t teenage boys. We love movies too.

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10 Best 80's Kids Movies

It’s time for a family-friendly marathon with these 10 best 80’s kids’ movies. The 80’s had many kid hits and many of them are still popular today. Many of the characters in these movies are known by kids today even though they weren’t alive during the movie's release.

10. “The Dark Crystal” (1982). This kids’ movie was from the puppet mastermind Jim Henson. This was the tale of good and evil told from the eyes of the fantasy creatures, the Gelflings, who fight to save their world from the Skeksis by replacing a shard from the Dark Crystal.

9. “The Goonies” (1985). This is a great underdog story that kids will instantly like. It’s the story of a group of friends who follow a treasure map in the hopes of saving their homes from a housing project. This was another great film from the mind of Steven Spielberg.

8. “The Little Mermaid” (1989). Disney took on Hans Christian Andersen’s mermaid tale with this story. It is one of the Disney classics that is still popular today. It is the tale of a young mermaid who falls in love with a human.

7. “The Land Before Time” (1988). This is the story of a little dinosaur who loses his mother and must travel to safety with a group of friends. Now twenty years later, the characters are still popular with multiple other movies having been released and a TV series.

6. “The Princess Bride” (1987). This movie is set up like the story is being told by a grandfather to his grandson. It is a wonderful fairy tale that took 80s pop-culture by storm. It is the story of the Princess Buttercup and her true love, Westley.

5. “Short Circuit” (1986). This science fiction movie is great for kids and the whole family. It’s the hear-warming tale of a robot who comes to life and is able to think outside of his programming. The government agency that designed the robot doesn’t like their weapon’s new found humanity and tries to have it destroyed. The movie was so successful that a sequel was later made.

4. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” (1984). This was Disney’s adaptation of the popular fairy tale. Snow White is put in a magic sleep by her wicked stepmother and is awakened by the kiss of a prince. It became an instant classic and is still a widely popular movie.

3. “A Christmas Story” (1983). This movie was very under appreciated during its release. The movie was set in the 1940s and told the story of a young boy who wanted a BB-gun for Christmas. The movie developed a cult following when TNT began airing it during 24 hour holiday marathons in 1997.

2. “The Last Unicorn” (1982). The movie was based on the book by Peter S. Beagle. This animated movie told the adventures of the last unicorn and her quest to discover what happened to the rest of her kind.

1. "E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (1982). Not only is this one of the best kids’ movies of the 80s, but it is also one of the most successful movies of all time. This movie helped rocket director Steven Spielberg to stardom. It was the story of a crash-landed alien and a young boy trying to help him get home.

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GLAAD-Handed: The Kids Are Alright, Glee, Scott Pilgrim, Burlesque and More

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has nominated the dramedy about a lesbian couple whose kids track down their biological father for Outstanding Film, Wide Release, for the 22nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards, which honor movies, TV and pieces of music, journalism and theater that include faithful representations of the LGBT community. Not exactly thinking outside the box with that one...but a good choice, nonetheless.

Up against The Kids Are All Right in the Wide Release category (can you imagine how limited the "limited release" films must be?) are Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Sweden's The Girl Who Played With Fire, Easy A and Burlesque.

The Jim Carrey- and Ewan McGregor-starring prison romance I Love You Phillip Morris leads off the Outstanding Film, Limited Release, category, followed by the little-seen but much talked-about Howl, starring James Franco as poet Alan Ginsberg; Sweden's Patrik, Age 1.5, about a gay couple who think they're adopting a 1 1/2-year-old but actually get a 15-year-old; La Mission, in which macho Benjamin Bratt must come to terms with his brother's homosexuality; and Peru's Undertow, about a married fisherman who has an affair with another man.

Glee and Modern Family—both of which saw gay supporting characters take home Emmys and Globes this past year—unsurprisingly head up the Outstanding Comedy Series category, along with Greek, Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara.

Brothers & Sisters, Degrassi, Grey's Anatomy, Pretty Little Liars and True Blood will duke it out for Outstanding Drama Series, while 30 Rock, Bored to Death, Law & Order, Law & Order: U.K. and Drop Dead Diva were nominated for Outstanding Individual Episodes.

Top Chef: Just Desserts and Project Runway are among the shows up for Outstanding Reality Program, and country singer Chely Wright, who inevitably made new fans and, sadly, enemies by coming out last May, is up for Outstanding Musical Artist.

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Movie review: Boston kids' breakup scenes in Guy and Madeline break out in song

Of the many movies set in or near Boston in 2010, the black-and-white one about kids who erupt spontaneously into song might be the most exciting. "Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench" isn't as well-acted as "The Fighter," as suspenseful as "The Town," as brilliantly structured as "The Social Network," or, for that matter, as confusing as "Shutter Island." It is, however, new and young. Those other movies were made by artists we know well.

"Guy and Madeline" is the work of an artist — Damien Chazelle — you want to know better. It's whimsical and winsome and a touch quaint. Not only does the movie look like it's set somewhere, it feels, cinematically, to have arrived from someplace — early John Cassavetes, the French New Wave, Eastern Europe. The characters drift around Boston environs such as Copley, the Back Bay and South End, with the camera at their backs or near their shoulders. They don't say much. But Chazelle gives his movie a mood that feels precise.

Essentially, this is a breakup movie. Guy is a trumpeter, played by the actual trumpet player Jason Palmer. He loves music. He loves women. It's simply unclear whether he'll ever love a woman. He's dating Madeline (Desiree Garcia), and our time with them lasts for a couple of scenes. Their split confirms that she needs to get her life together. But the lovesickness never leaves her face. In fact, singing about Guy near the old North Church only makes it worse.

Guy's spirit is freer. One afternoon, on the commuter train, he meets someone else. Her name is Elena (Sandha Khin), and they spend the better part of their ride staring at each other in the way that is customary for two attracted strangers. We just saw her giving her phone number to some performer in Faneuil Hall, and now, two scenes later, Guy is lying on the frameless mattress she calls a bed.

Calling this movie "Guy and Madeline" instead of "Guy and Elena" suggests that, at heart, Chazelle is old-fashioned. Madeline is a dreamy romantic. Elena is riskier, more carnal. Not that we see her carnality in action.

By "old-fashioned," I actually mean chaste. This film could have been made in 1957 without having to do much more than change the characters' races — Palmer is black, Khin is Asian, Madeline is Latina. But it doesn't feel like a throwback or even a tribute to another age. It's as though we've picked up a rock and discovered a colony of jazz nerds who attend cramped house parties where tap-danced musical numbers break out.

Guy, Madeline and Elena don't know what they're doing or where they're going. The windows of possibility that are a fact of youth appear only partially opened for them. These are young characters with heavy old souls.

Chazelle could go further into eroticism than he tries to here. The camera does glide down that trumpet as it rests in Guy's lap, pretty much wringing dry its phallic worth. He might turn into Denzel Washington in "Mo' Better Blues." For now, he's Sidney Poitier in "Paris Blues."

What's most exciting about "Guy and Madeline" is that Chazelle bothered to make it at all. Other artists his age (he's 25) and a little older make stage musicals and wind up with "Bat Boy," "Urinetown," "Avenue Q" and "Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson." Chazelle made a movie musical instead. I hope he loves the art form enough to make more.

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