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Film
'Larry the Cable Guy': Southern twang
A look at the other films that are headed to the theater.
By STEVE PERSALL
Published March 23, 2006
Don't be surprised if the biggest movie star of early 2006 turns out to be Larry the Cable Guy, who some of us knew years ago as Dan Whitney when he performed at Tampa Bay area comedy clubs and kidded around on the Ron & Ron radio show. That's where he created the persona that has made him a star. He has a showcase movie opening Friday. Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector (PG-13) is pretty much self-explanatory if you're familiar with his burly bumpkin routine. Larry also gets star billing in the Pixar/Disney animated comedy Cars opening June 9. I saw a screening at the recent ShoWest convention of theater owners. He steals the show, lending his drawl to a dilapidated tow truck named Tow Mater. It couldn't happen to a nicer guy, even if he is an Atlanta Braves fan. There's something irresistible and fairly innocent about Larry's outlook on life, somewhere left of center and deeply Southern. Lions Gate didn't provide advance screenings for critics and that's a shame. Some of us appreciate pig roasts, six-packs and an occasional chew. - STEVE PERSALL, Times film critic 'Stay Alive': PG-13 for bad intentions Malcolm (a.k.a. Frankie Muniz) finds himself in the middle of a deadly video game in Stay Alive (PG-13), a fright flick featuring "horror violence, disturbing images, language, brief sexual and drug content,'' according to the MPAA ratings board. Either that list of dicey factors will be toned down so much that they don't matter to horror fans, or it will be more proof that the ratings system is whack. Muniz is the most recognizable name in the cast, making him most likely to survive. The others are subject to some grisly demise at the hands of the Blood Countess (Maria Kalinina) inhabiting a video game that murdered their friend, who probably needed the gig to earn a Screen Actors Guild card. When filmmakers stop being so cynical about what their audiences will settle for, we'll stop being so cynical about their intentions. No screenings were offered to bay area critics, so we don't know if Stay Alive is worth the money or merely a joystick in the mud. - S.P.
[Last modified March 22, 2006, 12:18:00]
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Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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