The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page D2

Time: 06-12-2011 18:04 User: mmatherly PubDate: 06-13-2011 Zone: KY Page Name: 2 Color: Black D2 I MONDAY, JUNE 13, 2011 I THE COURIER-JOURNAL FEATURES I SHOW CLOCK COMEDIES How do the three box-office winners stack up? Continued from Dl as occasionally inappropriate, sometimes indelicate and always believable. "Midnight in Paris," though not perfect, is charming enough and the filmmaker's best since "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" in 2008. Meanwhile, "The Hangover Part II," despite the massive box-office take, doesn't come close to "The Hangover" high of 2009. Animals, strippers, Mike Tyson, etc. the emperor just got new clothes for the trip to Thailand.

Which does not, however, mean the film doesn't have its share of laughs. And that brings me to the second point. This particular threesome gets the funny fundamentals right. Which is a relief because so many recent movies have not. Consider a few of the forgettables: "No Strings Attached," "Something Borrowed," "Due Date," "The Dilemma" "Hall Pass," "Arthur," "Just Go with It" Thanks, but we'd rather not.

So what are the common threads, and who did it best? Here's my take: They're relatable. All three films are playing around with that most typical of adult maladies pre-wedding jitters albeit from opposite sides of the aisle, and the ocean: Kristen Wiig's maid of honor fighting to keep her best-friend status in Owen Wilson's blocked writer wondering if he's marrying the right one in and Ed Helms' Stu just hoping his soon-to-be-brother-in-law is still alive. The movies pit the rational against the irrational, specifically that moment when fears about love, identity and commitment make good people do bad things. We can feel their pain. Winner: "Bridesmaids." They're physical.

Here there are echoes of Jerry Lewis, Carol Burnett and the slapstick kings, the Three Stooges. It's the clever use of a comic tradition that makes the most out of the body from contortions to the pain-induced nyuk, nyuk, nyuk variety. "Hangover II" serves up the most extreme form, with face tattoos and peccadilloes with transgender strippers. "Bridesmaids" turns sex into a gymnastic freestyle event, although the takedown of a chocolate fountain may be my favorite. "Midnight" is more subtle, though you can even find it there in the old taxi that picks up Wilson's Gil when the clock strikes 12 each night it's like a clown car stuffed with literati.

Winner: "Bridesmaids." Runner-up: "Hangover II." They're humiliating. Making light of all the embarrassments being human makes possible is the oldest trick in the whoopee-cushion book, and as the Romans are credited with the first artificial whoopee, that's a very long time indeed. In "Bridesmaids," it's mostly implied, though powerfully so, when food poisoning ravages a dress fitting. "Hangover II" leaves little to the imagination with stunts like Ken Jeong's naked jack-in-the-ice-box pounce as Mr. Chow.

In "Midnight," the humiliation turns on the mind games played by Michael Sheen's condescending effete with Wilson on the receiving end, though nothing that a chance encounter with Picasso can't fix. Winner: "Bridesmaids." Runner-up: "Midnight in Paris." friend status in "Bridesmaids, GLOBAL Hassan back in Louisville to teach Bollywood dance MOVIE RATINGS (G) general audiences; (PG) parental guidance suggested, some material may not be suitable for preteens; (PG-13) all ages, but parents urged to use caution with children under 13; (R) restricted, children under 17 not admitted unless with a parent or adult guardian; (NC-17) children under 17 not admitted; (U) unrated. MOVIES BAXTER AVENUE Bridesmaids (R): 1:10, 4:10, 7:15, 9:50 The Hangover Part II (R): 12:55, 3:10, 5:30, 6:25, 7:45, 8:45, 10 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): 2:20, 4:25 Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (PG): 1:10, 3:20, 5:30, 7:35, 9:45 Macbeth Royal (U): 2:30 Midnight in Paris (PG-13): 12:50, 3:05, 5:25, 7:40, 9:50 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 7, 9:55 Super 8 (PG-13): 1:40, 4:40, 7:40, 10:05 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 1:35, 4:35, 7:30, 10:10 CORYDON Bridesmaids (R): 6:45, 9:30 The Hangover Part II (R): 5, 7:15, 9:30 Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (PG): 4:45, 7, 9:15 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 5, 8 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Disney Digital 3D (PG-13): 6:30, 9:30 Super 8 (PG-13): 5, 6:20, 9:40 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 4, 6:45, 9:30 DIXIE DOZEN Bridesmaids (R): 1:45, 4:30, 7, 9:45 Fast Five (PG-13): 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45 The Hangover Part II (R): 1:45, 4:15, 7:30, 9:45 Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG): 1:45, 4:30, 7:30, 9:30 Jumping the Broom (PG-13): 1:30, 4, 7, 9:30 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): 2, 4:15, 7:15, 9:15 Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (PG): 2, 4:15, 7:15, 9:15 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 2, 7, 9:45 Super 8 (PG-13): 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 9:45 Thor 3D (PG-13): 1:30, 4, 7, 9:30 Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family (PG-13): 1:30, 4, 7:15, 9:30 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45 GEORGETOWN DRIVE-IN Fast Five (PG-13): 11:45 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): 11:30 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 9:30 Super 8 (PG-13): 9:30 GREAT ESCAPE NEW ALBANY Bridesmaids (R): 11:10, 1:55, 4:45, 7:30, 10:20 The Hangover Part II (R): 12:35, 3:05, 5:25, 7, 8, 9:30, 10:30 Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG): 11:45, 12:40, 2, 2:50, 4:10, 5, 7:15, 9:25 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): 11, 12:15, 1:15, 2:25, 3:25, 4:35, 5:35, 6:50, 9 Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (PG): 12:45, 2:55, 5:05 Midnight in Paris (PG-13): 11:35, 2:10, 4:50, 7:25, 10:05 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 12:45, 3:45, 6:40, 9:40 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Disney Digital 3D (PG-13): 7:20, 10:20 Super 8 (PG-13): 11:15, 11:55, 12:50, 1:50, 2:30, 3:30, 4:30, 5:10, 6:25, 7:05, 7:45, 9:05, 9:45, 10:25 Thor (PG-13): 7:50, 10:30 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 11:25, 12:20, 1, 1:40, 2:20, 3:20, 4, 4:40, 5:20, 6:15, 6:55, 7:35, 8:15, 9:15, 9:55, 10:15 GREAT ESCAPE OLDHAM Bridesmaids (R): 1:40, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15 Fast Five (PG-13): 1, 7 The Hangover Part II (R): 11:45, 2:20, 5, 7:35, 10 Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG): 11:30, 2, 4:20, 6:40, 8:50 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): noon, 2:10, 4:40, 6:50, 9 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 1:10, 4:10, 7:25, 10:20 Something Borrowed (PG-13): 4:15, 9:50 Super 8 (PG-13): 11:15, 1:50, 4:30, 7:05, 9:45 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 12:30, 4, 7:15, 10:10 GREAT ESCAPE RIVER FALLS Bridesmaids (R): 11:20, 2:05, 4:55, 7:40, 10:25 Fast Five (PG-13): 1:55, 7:20 The Hangover Part II (R): 11:35, 2:10, 4:50, 7:15, 7:55, 9:55, 10:40 Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG): 11:45, 12:20, 2, 2:40, 4:40, 5:20, 6:55, 9:10 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): 12:10, 2:20, 4:35, 6:50, 9 Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (PG): 11:30, 1:40, 3:50 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 1, 4, 7, 10 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Disney Digital 3D (PG-13): 6:30, 9:30 Super 8 (PG-13): 11:15, 11:55, 1:50, 2:30, 4:30, 5:10, 7:05, 7:45, 9:45, 10:20 Thor (PG-13): 11:10, 4:45, 10:10 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 12:30, 1:25, 3:40, 4:20, 6:40, 7:25, 9:35, 10:30 GREAT ESCAPE SHELBYVILLE Bridesmaids (R): 11:40, 2:20, 5:05, 7:50, 10:40 Fast Five (PG-13): 4:20, 10:20 The Hangover Part II (R): noon, 2:30, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10 Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG): 11:50, 2, 4:20, 6:55, 9:15 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): 11:55, 2:10, 5, 7:10, 9:25 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 12:15, 1, 3:30, 6:30, 7:20, 9:35 Super 8 (PG-13): 11:15, 1:50, 4:30, 7:05, 9:45 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 1:30, 4:40, 7:30, 10:30 PRESTON CROSSINGS 16 Bridesmaids (R): 1:30, 4:30, 7:55, 10:55 Fast Five (PG-13): 2:05, 8:05, 11:05 The Hangover Part II (R): 11:25, 12:15, 2, 3, 4:35, 5:35, 7:35, 8:25, 10:15, 11 Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG): 11:05, 1:50, 4:20, 7:05, 9:35 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG-13): 11:15, 1:40, 4:05, 6:50, 9:20 Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (PG-13): 11:45, 2:25, 4:50, 7:40 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 11:55, 3:10, 7:10, 10:35 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Disney Digital 3-D (PG-13): 12:30, 4:10, 7:25, 10:40 Super 8 (PG-13): 11, noon, 1:15, 2, 2:45, 4:15, 4:55, 5:40, 7:15, 7:50, 8:35, 10:10, 10:45 Thor (PG-13): 11:10, 5:10 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 11, 11:30, 12:35, 1:35, 2:10, 2:40, 3:50, 4:40, 5:15, 5:45, 7:15, 7:45, 8:20, 8:50, 10:20, 10:50 STONYBROOK Bridesmaids (R): 12:05, 3:35, 6:35, 9:40, 10:15 Fast Five (PG-13): 10:55, 2:25, 5:25, 8:20 The Hangover Part II (R): 10:45, 11:30, noon, 1:35, 2:10, 2:35, 4:05, 4:55, 5:35, 7:10, 7:40, 8:35, 10:05, 10:45 Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG): 10:40, 1:25, 3:50, 6:55, 9:45 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): 11:25, 1:55, 4:25, 7:05 Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (PG): 10:35, 1:10, 3:45, 6:30, 9:20 Midnight in Paris (PG-13): 11:55, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:25 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 12:30, 3:55, 7:25, 10:40 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Disney Digital 3D (PG-13): 10:20, 1:30, 4:40, 7:55 Super 8 (PG-13): 10:30, 11:45, 1, 1:45, 2:30, 4, 4:30, 5:30, 6:40, 7:15, 8:40, 9:30, 10 Super 8 IMAX (PG-13): 11, 2:15, 5, 7:45, 10:30 Thor (PG-13): 12:40, 3:40, 6:50, 9:50 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 11:05, 12:10, 12:50, 1:40, 2:20, 3:45, 4:10, 4:50, 5:20, 7, 7:30, 8:25, 8:30, 10:20, 10:25, 10:45 TINSELTOWN Bridesmaids (R): 11:05, 1:55, 4:45, 6:10, 7:35, 9, 10:25 Cave of Forgotten Dreams 3D (G): 11:10, 1:25, 3:40, 5:55, 8:10, 10:25 The Hangover Part II (R): noon, 12:50, 2:30, 3:20, 5, 5:50, 6:40, 7:30, 8:20, 9:10, 10 Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG): 12:05, 2:25, 4:45, 7:05, 9:25 Kung Fu Panda 2 (PG): 11:30, 1:45, 4, 6:15, 8:30 Kung Fu Panda 2 3D (PG): 12:40, 2:55, 5:10, 7:25, 9:40 Midnight in Paris (PG-13): 12:45, 3:05, 5:20, 7:35, 9:50 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (PG-13): 11:15, 2:20 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in Disney Digital 3D (PG-13): 12:45, 3:50, 6:55, 10 Super 8 (PG-13): 11, 11:50, 12:40, 1:40, 2:30, 3:20, 4:20, 5:10, 6, 7, 7:50, 8:40, 9:40, 10:30 Thor (PG-13): 11:25, 4:50, 10:10 Thor 3D (PG-13): 2:05, 7:30 Water for Elephants (PG-13): 1, 3:45 X-Men: First Class (PG-13): 11, 11:45, 12:30, 1:15, 2, 2:45, 3:30, 4:15, 5, 5:45, 6:30, 7:15, 8, 8:45, 9:30, 10:20 VILLAGE 8 13 Assassins (R): 1:15, 4:05, 7:05, 9:45 Forks Over Knives (PG): 12:55, 3:10, 5:15, 7:35, 9:40 The Lincoln Lawyer (R): 1:25, 4:25, 7:20, 9:55 Rango (PG): 1:30, 4:15, 7:15, 9:35 Rio (G): 1:05, 3:20, 5:25, 7:30, 9:50 Something Borrowed (PG-13): 1:10, 4:20, 7:25, 10 Soul Surfer (PG): 1:20, 4:10, 7:10, 9:30 Source Code (PG-13): 3:15, 7:40 Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family (PG-13): 1, 5:20, 10:05 Online: Find reviews at 1 Kristen Wiig is fighting to keep her best They're emotional. Just because there is fun to be had at everyone's expense, a comedy still needs heart. Or, if you're four guys bonding over a major screw-up, heart-lite.

This is where "Bridesmaids" moves to the head of the class, a spot Allen and his films have occupied for years. There is a real sweetness in Wiig's desperation to win the bride, then the boyfriend back. And much of "Midnight's" magic is in the slow flirt between Wilson's modern-day dude and Marion Cotillard's '20s-era girl. Tie: "Midnight" and "Bridesmaids." They're smart (if not exactly intellectual). We see it in the straight-man wit of the socially inept Alan (Zach who also has a production company.

hobby: cooking. "I am an avid reader of gourmet cookbooks on Indian cuisine and love cooking for my family," she says. "I make pretty much any dish that is served in upscale Indian restaurants, heavy on herbs and spices like turmeric, cumin, cayenne pepper, ginger, caramelized onions and garlic. a Galifianakis) and his "this is not Stu's first wedding, there was the whore in Vegas toast. For the "Bridesmaids," it comes in figuring out how to recalibrate relationships old and new so that they actually work.

"Midnight" goes philosophical about the meaning of life and the creation of art, with the whimsical Wilson as the ballast, keeping the tone just light enough. Tie: "Bridesmaids" and "Midnight." For my money, "Bridesmaids" is by far the best of the bunch. Fresh point of view, smart script, actors who play every type of funny just right, a director in Paul Feig who knew when to rein them in and when to let the girls go wild. I laughed, I cried, I want to see it again. Mehr Hassan is seen with her mother, Riffat, in the hospital after Riffat Hassan had surgery.

Hassan plays a persnickety socialite in the 2009 comedy "Heart Land." One of my favorite dishes is chicken qorma, which has all the above ingredients as well as yogurt and cardamom I tend to eat very spicy food, which unless I make it myself is hard to get locally." Her inclination to entertain was obvious from childhood. She was enrolled in ballet at age 5 years and began performing early. But gifted, overachieving children often mean parental challenges. "A few of her films have been shot in difficult and dangerous places, such as small towns high up in the mountains in southern India and at Pakistan's Wagah border with India," her mother said. "This has been source of concern and anxiety for me, but my joy at seeing her accomplishments overshadows those feelings." And Hassan adores her mother, the woman she calls her greatest influence.

"I am what I am today because of her," she said. "I saw my mother survive being a single parent and become one of the most respected Muslim scholars in the world. She taught me to be true to myself, follow my calling and use my art as a positive example for others. She is my inspiration, my most significant female role model." Reporter Larry Muhammad can be reached at (502) 582-7091. Mehr Hassan is an actor and dancer Continued from Dl I'm doing two six-week sessions this summer to see the potential of the local market." Hassan's mother said, "I am extremely fortunate to be blessed with a daughter who has always put me before her work, which means so much to her.

I know how difficult it was to be my caretaker and take on all the household responsibilities while putting much of her work on hold or trying to work from home. She worked almost around the clock, and I cannot adequately express my gratitude." Little Maid Films has done four videos so far "Piya Nain Milla" (When Our Eyes Met); "Man Moh-na" (My Spirit); "Kuch Nahi Terey Bin" (The Dance of Courtship); and "Itna Main Chahoon Tujhe" (Eternal Love). Hassan is now casting in Louisville for two others a contemporary comedy and a 1940s period piece. Her big-screen performances, like the character Baby Singh in "Heart Land," received raves from director Holmes, who said, "The movie's about a second-generation Indian-American who returns to his native village asking his grandfather's permission to marry a Texas farm girl, the love of his life, and Mehr plays the young man's mother, if you can believe that. "She created a memorable character in the best tradition of comically evil villains.

She has the expressions and timing of Lucille Ball and the dramatic lethalness of Cruella Deville. It was a joy to watch her work, and ablast hanging with her in India when we filmed." Experienced beyond her years, Hassan was first cast in a movie at 16, starring in L.V Athavin's "Anbe Diana" (Always Diana). "I was attending a conference with my mother in Chennai, South India, and a filmmaker there asked me to come do a screen test," she said. "It was grueling to memorize dialogue in Tamil, a language I didn't speak or understand, and do the dancing and a photo shoot over a two-day process. I had a lot of fun because I thought there was just absolutely no way that I was going to get cast.

It was like boot camp for me, but such a gift. I remain grateful for that experience." At the time she was a theater student at of where she enrolled after graduating from St. Francis High School at 15, when most kids her age were in 10th grade. "I loved it!" she said. "It never seemed unnatural to me somehow.

My mother had her first book published at 13 and got her PhD. by the time she was 23. So being in college at a young age was a fairly normal thing. In fact, before college I had always felt like a bit of an oddball, rather serious for my age." Hassan's mother is a Pakistani-American scholar. Her father, the late Jehan Dawar, was born in India and worked for the state of Oklahoma Her brother, Omar, works in film production in Florida.

Hassan is shown at 16 on the set of her first film, "Anbe Diana," learning lines in Tamil with a dialogue coach known as Mr. K. In the 2006 film "The Gold Bracelet," Hassan plays Simrun, a Sikh girl, whose father is played by the film's director, Kavi Raz. She was especially close to her dance mentor, Khannu Samrat, a master of Kathak, the classical Indian art of storytelling ballet, who died suddenly of a heart attack in February. A self-described workaholic, Hassan is guarded about her personal life and acknowledges only one.