The Final Cut: The Longest Yard, Madagascar, Memorial Day Releases

The last Friday in May brings us a remake of a popular 1974 football film, an animated film from the people who gave us the Shrek movies, and a couple of films most of us won’t get to see, due purely to our location. Get a rundown of The Longest Yard, Madagascar, and a couple of limited releases after the jump.

THE LONGEST YARD

Starring: Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds, Chris Rock, James Cromwell, Nelly

After a drunken car chase(and subsequent crash into quite a few cop cars), former pro quarterback Paul “Wrecking” Crewe(Sandler) finds himself in a prison that, to his surprise, he’d been hand picked for by the Warden (Cromwell).  Warden Hazen is not a fan however, just one who is well aware of Paul’s athletic skills and how they’ll help shape a team of inmates into a football team that will play against the Warden’s guards.  With the help of a former college coach(Reynolds) and the Caretaker(Rock), Crewe turns his group of inmates in a team to be reckoned with.

This film is a remake of a very successful 1974 film by the same name that had Reynolds starring as Paul Crewe, and is the first feature film with both SNL alumni Adam Sandler and Chris Rock.  Also appearing in the film is #88, Michael Irvin, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver.  I’ve heard that this film is kind of violent, but it is a film about football and prison, which, last time I checked, weren’t for the faint of heart, so this really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.  If you’re looking for an entertaining film this Memorial Day weekend, give this one a look. 

MADAGASCAR

Starring: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith

A lion, a zebra, a giraffe and a hippo (Stiller, Rock, Schwimmer, Smith, respectively) are the stars of the show as well as best friends. They rest at New York City’s Central Park Zoo, until one of the 4 goes missing.  The remaining three escape, and eventually they find their missing friend - on a ship en route to Madagascar.  When their boat capsizes off the coast, this group of friends are forced to learn to survive on their own, something life in a cage in NYC never taught them.

While this film might be great for the younger members of your family, this may not be something you’d want to see, even if you were entertained by other Dreamworks animated films such as Shrek or Shark Tale.  While the aforementioned films were edgy and even spoofed many modern day TV shows and movies, don’t expect that from this film, it’s been reported that the storyline lacks focus and the spoofs are few and far between.  The bottom line - unless you’ve got a kid who’s dying to see this film, it’d probably be in your best interest to pass this one up.

Those of you in NYC or L.A. will also get a pair of limited releases for your viewing pleasure this weekend-  Saving Face, a film that has been called unrealistic, but in a good way; and Bomb the System, a loosely adapted film based on the history of graffiti in New York City.