SEQUEL CAST CAN'T CARRY PAINFUL 'SON OF THE MASK'.Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer 'THAT GREEN GUY,'' says sleazy animation boss Daniel Moss. ``He's got possibilities. He could be a franchise.'' Moss is referring to the lime-skinned human cartoon played by Jim Carrey in ``The Mask'' (1994) and taken up by Jamie Kennedy (and a few others) in the newly released sequel, ``Son of the Mask.'' And if there is any thought more singularly horrifying than that of a mask franchise, may it never enter this critic's humble noggin nog·gin n. 1. A small mug or cup. 2. A unit of liquid measure equal to one quarter of a pint. 3. Slang The human head. [Origin unknown. . Gross and witless wit·less adj. Lacking intelligence or wit; foolish. wit  less·ly adv.wit , assaultive as·saul·tive adj. Inclined to or suggestive of violent attack: "The reduction of cinema to assaultive images ... has produced a disincarnated, lightweight cinema that doesn't demand anyone's full attention" and aggressively loud, ``Son of the Mask,'' written and directed by Lawrence Guterman, assumes an audience will double over at bodily fluid jokes and Wile E. Coyote-ish yuks at the expense of imperiled babies and dogs. Does this sound funny? It really isn't. The mask in question, a wooden jobbie that infuses the wearer with the id-powered spirit of the Norse god Loki, is now in the possession of struggling cartoonist Tim Avery (played by Jamie Kennedy). One night, Tim goes to a Halloween party, gets Loki-ized by the mask, jazzes up the party and returns home to impregnate im·preg·nate v. 1. To make pregnant; to cause to conceive; inseminate. 2. To fertilize an ovum. 3. To fill throughout; saturate. his wife, Tonya (Traylor Howard). Because the resulting baby, Alvey, is ``born of the mask,'' he possesses exceptional powers including, but not limited to, the ability to dance, stretch his limbs and imitate dialogue from Warner Bros. cartoons Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was the animation division of Warner Bros. Pictures during the golden age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, Warner Bros. . Meanwhile, the actual god Loki (Alan Cumming, who must be looking to buy property) wants the mask back to appease his father, Odin (Bob Hoskins, see above). And Otis, the Avery family dog, tends to stick it on his own face and morph into a demented slobbering slobbering see drooling. Jack Russell terrorist hell bent on terrorizing baby Alvey. This behavior - Guterman shamefully suggests at the film's conclusion - is an attention-getting ploy on the part of the displaced family pet. During the film's 86 painful minutes, we watch our hero Tim get menaced, clobbered and drenched in buckets of projectile projectile something thrown forward. projectile syringe see blow dart. projectile vomiting forceful vomiting, usually without preceding retching, in which the vomitus is thrown well forward. puke Puke Slang for selling off a losing position even if the loss is substantial. Notes: The point at which an investor decides to sell regardless of price has been dubbed "the puke point. and baby urine. Having sat through ``Son of the Mask,'' I know exactly how that must feel. Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com SON OF THE MASK - No stars (PG: action, crude and suggestive humor and language) Starring: Jamie Kennedy, Alan Cumming, Traylor Howard, Steven Wright. Director: Lawrence Guterman. Running time: 1 hr. 26 min. Playing: Wide release. In a nutshell: Loud, crude and stupid. Anybody associated with this film should wear a mask to avoid being pelted with rotten fruit in public. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Jamie Kennedy and his dog both wear the requisite facial appliance in ``Son of the Mask.'' |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion