Catching up with Nick Park's claymation soccer-themed delight, EARLY MAN

TrustMovies spent the past few days with his daughter, son-in-law and grandkids in the Atlanta area (specifically the uber-charming little town of Decatur, Georgia), during which grandsons Ronin and Walker suggested watching EARLY MAN, the animated movie directed by the claymation maven, Nick Park (of Wallace & Gromit fame, Chicken Run, and a bunch more).

The movie, as expected given Park's oeuvre, was great fun-- and probably as much for adults as for the kids. I suspect, however, that it proved more successful in Europe and elsewhere internationally than here in the USA because its subject is soccer (or futbol, as it is known around the globe), while the manner in which this game was originally invented and played is brought to goofy and delightful life by Park (shown below) and his writers, Mark Burton and James Higginson.

Early Man posits a properly dumb but very diverse caveman tribe, pushed by their youngest but most forward-thinking member (shown at  bottom, with his pet cave-pig) to hunt for something "meatier" than mere rabbit, when rather suddenly their quiet life (for cavemen, anyway) is upended by marauders from a more "civilized" (read empire-driven) society.

Somehow, this turns into an all-or-nothing soccer match, which, against great odds, our little tribe must win.

Don't expect much in the way of originality in how the plot progresses, but so much of what we see and hear is so much fun that I doubt this will matter.

The film is so full of lunatic moments (my favorite occurs at the left-hand bottom of the screen, as a roach dons a pair of sunglasses while a nuclear moment erupts) that you will probably find yourself alternately chuckling and laughing aloud.

The voices assembled for this little lark includes a bevy of talented and well-known actors (check out the full cast here), and no one disappoints in the least. That voice-master Rob Brydon may be the most fun, playing several roles, including the messenger bird, above.

And, yes, there's a love story of sorts, as well as a major nod to feminism, a good 'n greedy villain, a nifty gladiatorial Colosseum set, an exciting chase or two, and tons of humor in a wide variety.

Available now on DVD and streaming (we viewed it via Comcast/Xfinity's Free Movies for Kids category), Early Man is well worth a watch for children and adults -- especially, of course, fans of futbol/soccer.

Florian Steinbiss' NEANDER-JIN, a popular "minor festival" winner, gets its NYC debut

Billed as a screwball comedy, this 2011 German movie spoken mostly in English -- NEANDER JIN: THE RETURN OF THE NEAN-DERTHAL MAN, from first-time filmmaker Florian Steinbiss -- will take some getting used to. If you don't leave within minutes (or hit the eject button, should you be viewing it on DVD) due to a screenplay and direction so over-the-top that a "camp" experience seems just a step away, you may actually last the movie out. Despite its amateur quality in nearly every way, it does provide a few good laughs and even some satire, simple-minded though it be.

I am not sure why Herr Steinbiss (shown at left) -- who has directed, co-written and co-produced, as well as performed one of the supporting roles -- decided to make this odd concoction. (Perhaps to explore today's female's supposed need for a "real" man?) Whatever the reason, he has succeeded mostly in turning out a barely watchable movie in which everything goes too far yet never far enough, and in which the humor is, well, grade-school -- with some sexual references tossed in to bring it up to high-school level.

Within these parameters, there is some fun to be had -- from a few of the performers to the occasional visual trick up Steinbiss' sleeve: a sudden change to silent-movie mode, a little posterization, and a few other very minor special effects. The story -- a Neanderthal (gamely played by Jon Chardiet, below right and at bottom) back in the day manages to place together into a certain pattern a few stones, which magically transport him to the future, where he gets involved with a lovesick female (Sarah Muehlhause, below left) a shyster producer, a full-of-himself anthropologist, and a nosy neighbor and her little doggie (Rosalind Ayres, above).

Minor comedy ensures (the classic "screwball" variety, I'm afraid, is mostly in the mind of the filmmaker), along with over-the-top acting and some tired and obvious situations. The most sustained comic performance comes from veteran actor Rick Zieff, below, as a maintenance worker who first sights the Neanderthal when no one else is around and pays for it dearly.

The most over-the-top performer is Milton Welsh, below, playing the scam artist. Mr Welsh gets to do everything from hi-tailing it on the lam to dressing up in drag, and he is clearly having the time of his, if not our, life.

With hardly a bit of memorable dialog to quote or clever scenes to recall, this is still one of those very odd movies that, by their very awfulness, rather compels you to keep watching. It never quite -- more's the pity -- falls over into outright and unintentional camp, so a little "dumb fun" is about the most you can expect.

Neander Jin: The Return of.... opens this Friday, July 26, at Manhattan's Quad Cinema and will eventually, perhaps even sooner, arrive on DVD.