Thursday, November 18, 2004

Less than a month after the release of Team America: World Police, the original bad boy of inanimate theater returns in Seed of Chucky, a bizarre comedy/horror hybrid that is either a brilliant homage to the B-movie genre or a lazy attempt to cash in on a franchise. While I can see both arguments, I would lean toward the latter.

This fifth installment picks up with an orphaned doll named Glen (voiced by Billy Boyd of The Lord of the Rings), who discovers that he is the offspring of Chucky and Tiffany, the evil dolls last seen on a killing spree in Bride of Chucky.

Glen heads to Hollywood and brings his parents back to life on the set of Chucky Goes Psycho, a movie that is detailing the urban legend of the infamous couple.

It doesnt take long for the couple to get back to their murderous ways, and soon they devise a plot to transfer their souls back into the bodies of actress Jennifer Tilly and rapper Redman (After all, who wouldnt want to be Tilly and Redman?)

Ill confess that there were moments in Seed of Chucky that I truly enjoyed.

The best moments come in a really weird subplot that involves Tilly trying to jump-start her career. Her desperation to prove she is a legitimate actress in one scene she argues that she could have played Erin Brockovich because she could have done it without the Wonderbra proves to be quite funny.

I also liked the addition of a puppet offspring who lacks certain anatomy that would determine the puppets sex, leading to a payoff that would make Ed Wood proud.

Still, the humor is surrounded by typical horror scenes that just get in the way. Is it all supposed to be a big comedy? Or is this a horror film with touches of humor? Writer-director Don Mancini seems more conflicted than his asexual puppet.

Seed of Chucky does have its moments, but the fact is Im not quite sure if its a film that will appeal even to hard-core Chucky fans. By the time the film reaches its open-ended finale, its quite obvious that even the targeted audience will agree this doll needs to be shelved.

Discount dud of the week

This weeks dud is The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (D+), a braindead film that sucks the life out of its audience with its annoyingly overbearing screenplay.

Anne Hathaway returns as Mia, the American heir to the fictional country of Genovia. Mia has just finished college and headed back to her new home for her coronation as queen, replacing her retiring grandmother Clarisse (Julie Andrews).

The plans are altered when a member of the Genovian parliament challenges Mia as the heir to the throne, citing an ancient rule that claims all female rulers must be married or surrender the throne.

Hathaway is a beautiful young actress, but she isnt given much to do here. In the first film, there was at least the ugly-duckling-to-swan angle, but now she has to result to silly pratfalls that her character is way too smart to get herself into.

Director Gary Marshall has had plenty of hits (Pretty Woman and The Flamingo Kid), but has also proven that he is more than capable of misfires. I think Marshall is an adequate director if given the material to work with, but hes not the kind of director who can make a dull script more interesting.

Unfortunately, Marshall has to work with a screenplay from Shonda Rhimes that throws in every conceivable romantic clich one desperate enough to have Andrews sing in a pathetic attempt for some nostalgia points. Even the addition of new characters proves to be more annoying than refreshing.

The Princess Diaries 2 opens Friday at the Plaza 6, where all movies are $1.50.

Throwing his voice into the Monday Night Football decency debate with a new book, Whos Looking Out For You (When Youre Trying to Watch Grown Men Break Each Others Necks)?, sportswriter/movie reviewer Micheal Compton can be reached for comment by e-mailing mcompton@bgdailynews.com.  Daily News ·813 College St. ·PO Box 90012 ·Bowling Green, KY ·42102 ·270-781-1700