THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Audiences know what to expect from these movies before they plunk down their money, and that's a large part of their appeal ( and of Ferrell ) . There's the usual "hilarious" gross-out sight gags ( dinosaur doo doo, snot, intestines, crawly bugs, giant mosquitoes, etc. ) , a smattering of "gay" humor involving Cher ( this one a pretty good bit involving the synthesized voice used in the "Believe" recording ) and showtunes ( a repeated motif in which Ferrell's scientific device plays "I Hope I Get It" from "A Chorus Line" each time it's powered up ) and, of course, a long sequence in which the leading guys get high and are dared to French kiss one another ( which, surprisingly, they don't ) . We have a noxious sidekick ( Danny McBride filling in for John C. Reilly ) ; the luscious, aforementioned babe with brains ( Anna Friel ) ; and the nerd's sycophantic nerd ( Jorma Taccone as the ape man Cha-Ka, in a role that would have once gone to Steve Carell ) .

All of this is in keeping with the frat-house mentality of these movies, which have become so familiar that the laughs are just about cued in advance. And yet, like the formulaic, crude comedies of old ( and I'm thinking of the Three Stooges and Abbott & Costello ) , there are still enough dumb, dumb laughs to make a movie like Land of the Lost okay date fare. Ferrell does his job, McBride's arrogant schtick is still fresh enough to remain funny and Michael Giacchino's score—with its witty musical homages to Planet of the Apes and Close Encounters—adds some zest. But as always with a movie like this, it's best to lower your expectations: It's really thin stuff. Strip away the big-budget special effects and the flickering star wattage, and replace the comedy with earnestness and you get exactly what the original delivered: a hokey sci-fi kids' show with cheesy effects and acting designed for 10-year-olds. Taken in those terms, this Land of the Lost is about as nutritious as the sugar-saturated breakfast cereals scarfed down by those unsuspecting little 10-year-olds in 1976.

Perhaps the freshest, most delightful thing about Land of the Lost is what I learned after seeing the movie: Wesley Eure, who played the son of the Will Ferrell character in the original series and set quite a few hearts aflame with his open shirt, tight pants and gold-chain necklace, is gay. Eure, who went on to host game shows and work on Days of Our Lives, recently came out and has revealed something even more delicious: That the chain was a present from his then-lover.

Film notes:

—Voices of Witness Africa, a documentary that tells the stories of gay Anglicans, will screen on Monday, June 15 at 7 p.m. at All Saints' Church Chicago, 4550 N. Hermitage. The film was produced by Cynthia Black and Katie Sherrod, and features interviews with LGBT Africans about their lives and relationships with God and the church. The screening, to be followed by a discussion, is free and open to the public. See www.voicesofwitness.org .

—Out documentary director Johnny Symons ( Daddy and Papa, Beyond Conception ) returns with Ask Not, which focuses on the shameful "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy ban on gays and lesbians openly serving their country in the military. The film will be shown as an episode of "Independent Lens" on PBS and will have its local premiere on WTTW on Tuesday, June 16, at 10 p.m. See my interview with Symons in this issue of Windy City Times; visit www.asknotfilm.com .

—This year's Just for Laughs comedy festival will kick off on Tuesday, June 16 at 8 p.m. with a special advance screening of the Jack Black-Michael Cera Stone Age comedy Year One as part of a tribute to director/writer/producer/performer Harold Ramis. The festival will present Ramis, a Chicago native, with its Lifetime Achievement Award at the screening. The Gene Siskel Film Center will also screen a series of shorts and indie comedies during the fest including a Wed., June 17, screening of The Baby Formula ( starring Angela Vint and Megan Fahlenbock ) , which is about a lesbian couple desperate to have their own biological child. Complete festival guide and ticket information are at www.justforlaughschicago.com .

—Chicago native Francesco Levato, local filmmaker and poet ( executive director of the Poetry Center of Chicago ) , premieres his art film, War Rug, on Thursday, June 16, 6-9 p.m., at the Mars Gallery, 1139 W. Fulton Market, as part of an ongoing exhibit titled "Sepia." The film, based on a book-length poem also by Levato, will be part of the exhibition through July 16. See www.marsgallery.com .

—With all the films shot here over the past decade it's no surprise that a tour of famous movie scenes would follow. The Chicago Film Tour includes locations from The Dark Knight, My Best Friend's Wedding, The Fugitive, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Road to Perdition, and ( we presume ) Public Enemies, as well as many others. The tours, which are approximately two hours in length, are conducted Thursday-Sunday by bus at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 apiece; visit www.chicagofilmtour.com or call 312-593-4455.

Check out my archived reviews at www.windycitytimes.com or www.knightatthemovies.com . Readers can leave feedback at the latter Web site.