Of course the milk is fresh. The entire cow is in this can.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Pixar has been wearing the sash of “Best in Show” for animation lovers out there since their inception, but Universal, considered by many to be the long-standing underdog in nearly every market, has proven they are on the rebound from earlier disappointments. Sometimes that’s the nice thing about being the dark horse, no one sees you riding up in everyone else’s shadows.
Despicable Me is the tale of a once super-villain named Gru (voiced by NBC Universal go-to-guy, Steve Carell), who has slid down in the ranks of evil over the past few years and is looked upon as a novelty by other villains, his evil banking investors and even his own mother. But that was before he rounded up his assets: a hearing-endangered mad scientist, an army of painfully adorable yellow creatures known as ‘minions’ and three young girls swept out of the local orphanage, all in a dastardly attempt to pull off the greatest heist in history, stealing the moon! Pitfalls and successes abound as Gru struggles against his decision to be the world’s greatest villain or to strive for something he never saw coming.
If there is one key to a successful animated film, it is making one or more of the side characters the most adorable, hilarious, or possibly both, creature or person you could possibly imagine. Aladdin had Genie, Finding Nemo had Dory, Wall-E had Eve (or basically any character in that movie), and here Universal has learned that formula well and created the minions. These yellow oddly pill-shaped creatures that speak in a language uniquely their own provide laughter pretty much every time they grace the screen. I have little doubt that the merchandising for them will be a great bonus for the company and I would be on the look-out for straight-to-DVD spin-offs or short films based solely around these mini-misfits. Although you could only assume what they were talking about most of the time, this once again proved that real well written comedy has a language all its own.
Beyond the hilarious ovals of sunshine, Despicable Me stands up tall with a really tight script that is well paced and well balanced. Supremely funny moments are shared with more heartwarming beats and consistent plot and story. The main character of Gru was almost assuredly tailored for Steve Carell after he signed onto the project because in certain moments you could feel his TV alter-ego Michael Scott from The Office poking through. Normally that might be a tad unsettling and distracting, but the humor worked and Carell delivered, reminding us why he is one of the most sought after comedians on the market right now. The rest of the voice cast, including more big names familiar to the NBC Universal line-up like Russell Brand, Jason Segel, Kristen Wiig, Mindy Kaling and Jack McBrayer also lent their incredible timing and humorous natures to help make this movie the surprise hit of the year.
I also should mention I did pay the extra few bucks to see this in 3D since I had a feeling that was intended from the beginning and not retrofit into it after the fact, and I was correct. This is the only film I have seen since Avatar that actually had a real use for and benefited from the new 3D fad. I know we are due for more and more 3D films in the coming years, but hopefully they will learn that the decision to add another dimension to the film only works when you make it up front for creative reasons and not after the movie is finished for purely financial ones.
The End of the Page Recommendation: It’s a 10 out of 10, people. See it!
Already seen it? What did you think? How does it rank in your list of favorite animated films?
Posted 1 year, 6 months ago at 9:00 am. Add a comment
Let’s see their rabid bunny defense system handle this little snack… filled with C4!!!
Rating: 8 out of 10
It seems to be the hidden goal of every idea in the universe to end up in movie form. Whether it started as a TV show, comic book, video game or an action figure (possibly featuring kung-fu grip); everything strives to be blown up and projected to a captive audience. Many of them fail, in extraordinary fashion (ahem… McHale’s Navy, Steel, Double Dragon and Masters of the Universe, respectively), but some break through the barrier of novelty and succeed as memorable theatrical experiences (the recent J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek deserves mention, along with the gothic wonderment of The Dark Knight). In the particular world of translating comedy skits, Saturday Night Live takes center stage as the longest running live comedy show with a continually growing treasure trove of material, but they are equally challenged with bringing about quality movies. While many will celebrate the original Wayne’s World and The Blues Brothers, we also hope beyond hope to block out train wrecks like It’s Pat. The newest effort to come out of the SNL think-tank, after a decade-long hiatus, seems primed to ride the wave of 80′s nostalgia, but will it catch hold? Read on…
MacGruber is an absurdist parody of the 80′s adventure show starring the jack-of-all-trades namesake, MacGuyver. In the original SNL skits, each one only ran thirty seconds while MacGruber would ask for random knick-knacks in order to build a bomb-defusing device and save everyone trapped inside a repeatedly locked room. He never fails to distract himself past the point of detonation, killing everyone. The feature length version finds MacGruber yanked out of seclusion into the armed forces as the only one who can track down his arch-enemy, Dieter Von Cunth, who gains possession of a nuclear warhead and plans to reduce Washington D.C. to tiny piles of radioactive dust.
I’ll fully admit the first time I heard they were pushing forward with the idea of a MacGruber feature film, I thought it would be a waste of time, space and celluloid. Yet, months later when that first trailer rolled out I found myself shocked to actually be chuckling and thinking it actually had a shot at being something worth watching. Many people believed it couldn’t be done, that an absurdist parody born from a 30-second skit could never last for over 80 minutes, but writers John Solomon, Jorma Taccone and co-writer/star Will Forte succeeded at just that. As numerous film business outlets have reported by now, the opening weekend box numbers were dismal and some are already calling it the ‘bomb of the year’, a moniker I strongly feel is undeserved, at least not in terms of quality. One of the keys to triumph was pushing each and every joke just a handful of beats past the point of normal, ‘safer’ comedies. Both of the main SNL alums, Will Forte and Kristen Wiig held on doggedly to drain each moment of the last possible chuckle, which for some audience members actually makes it even funnier. I felt Ryan Phillipe was an odd choice for the straight man because I didn’t think he could hold the screen against Forte, but he grew on me during the film and in the end proved that he was indeed willing to ‘go there’ to get the laughs. As for the villainous Val Kilmer and his portrayal of Von Cunth, he’s at his best when his characters are smarter than the rest of the people on screen, and the crowd, and the writers (see Real Genius or Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang). While Kilmer doesn’t come near that level of comedic ownership, he does balance out nicely with the rest of the cast and digs into the second-grade humor when it’s called for.
The End of the Page Recommendation: While it may play out to be one of the year’s biggest box office disasters, MacGruber will ride on and gain a solid life on DVD as a cult comedy, not unlike Hot Rod, starring Andy Samberg, another SNL superstar. No matter what happens, they can always rest easy knowing it’s still better than It’s Pat.
Posted 1 year, 8 months ago at 8:47 am. Add a comment
It’s OK. Relax, boy. They said ‘The Hills’ is being canceled.
Rating: 7 out of 10
In the last decade we have been increasingly spoiled by legendary quality in the animated film world. Pixar exploded onto the scene and suddenly changed our Sunday afternoon trip to the movies with our little ones from a chore to a joy. Parents all over the country were now dragging kids along to see cartoons the kids hadn’t even asked about yet. “Trust me, son. You haven’t seen Toy Story 1 or 2 yet, but you’ll pick it up quickly. Now stop running around or we’ll lose our place in line.” Those wonderment wizards behind the screen also took notice of the change in demographic and began to layer their fare with subtle and intelligent adult humor, making it possible (and now possibly common) to see a grown man or adult couple walking into one of these movies without a single child in tow. I applaud this shift in content because I believe it helps remind us all to be a kid ourselves time and again.
How to Train Your Dragon is the newest effort from Dreamworks Animation, the studio once saved from going under by their imaginary friend Shrek. This tale, based on a popular children’s book of the same title by Cressida Cowell, surrounds a scrawny, accident-ridden viking named Hiccup (voiced expertly by Jay Baruchel) who stumbles upon a legendary dragon that no one has laid eyes on and lived. Finding he doesn’t have the heart to kill the dragon, he becomes the proud owner of a dangerous new pet and a planet-sized secret. Oh, his dad is chief of the village as well and their main chore in life is killing dragons. It’s like sprinkles on top.
While this colorful concoction doesn’t match up with headliners like Shrek, Kung-Fu Panda and Monsters vs. Aliens, it provides enough chuckles and consistent story flow to find itself placed above other Dreamworks outings like Flushed Away, Over the Hedge and Shark Tale. The main character of Hiccup is endearing in his self-deprecation and feels perfectly suited to the delivery of Baruchel. Also, if the animation studios have learned anything, it is to make any animal or magically living item into the most adorable thing imaginable. Dreamworks went for the gold here with their rendering of the dragon we all come to know as Toothless. They instilled him with a number of feline qualities, making him instantly loved by all cat owners in the crowd. They also have perfected the shifting of eye sizes (small for suspicion and huge for sugary-sweet cuteness) to the point where it almost feels like manipulation. I could have railed against being used like that, but I had already melted into my seat and mixed into the popcorn box below.
Other voice talents that held up their ends are Gerard Butler as Hiccup’s overly heroic Dad, Stoick, America Ferrera as the young competitor/love interest named Astrid, Jonah Hill as Snotlout (who to me sounded and looked on screen a lot like Jack Black), Kristen Wiig as Ruffnut, one half of a brother/sister twin pairing, and lastly Christopher Mintz-Plasse as the role-playiing stats nerd, Fishlegs.
The End of the Page Recommendation: How to Train Your Dragon provides enough chuckles to make it worthwhile, but the big screen is not totally necessary. Matinee pricing should be a safe bet. Oh, 2D is fine as well (skip shelling out the extra cash for 3D on this outing).
Posted 1 year, 10 months ago at 2:36 pm. 2 comments
1 – Here is the proof we all needed to believe that the printer in our home computer set-up is always a douchebag and doesn’t want to play nice with the rest of the network. [via College Humor]
2 – Yep, my life has gotten to the extreme height where someone could say to me, “You know what? A blind dude could play golf better than you?” And they would be right. So, so right. [via With Leather]
3 – I want to write into this pleasingly simple company and help them come up with more medical aid packs, like “help I’ve lost my way” and inside you find a compass and ten little sayings from various spiritual texts, or “help I can’t find the princess” and inside would be a pocket sized walk through to Super Mario Brothers. Gotta help people find those warp zones, man. [via JoshSpear]
4 – Helping to turn the tide on SNL, Ashton Kutcher actually showed up in good form over the weekend and took part in a number of funny skits, but per the tradition of the last couple of months, the show felt it’s high moment when Kristen Wiig showed once again that she is the most dedicated cast member on the show. Her characters are always completely over the edge, but gratefully she never lets go or breaks which helps push the comedy even father. Check out this clip from Weekend Update where she appears as the uncomfortably nervous travel reporter, Judy Grimes. [via Hulu]
5 – Evidently Kobe Bryant jumped a car for a commercial stunt. Here’s a video of what it would have looked like had he not succeeded. Honestly, I was not ready for what happened. [via GorillaMask via 13gb]
6 – I felt bad enough when I was a kid and lacked the skill or coordination to ride a real skateboard, but now the youth of today decided it was time to show off once again by proving their oodles and oodles of talent on invisible skateboards. Well good for you kids, I’ll just be over here building my invisible model of Westminster Abbey from invisible Popsicle sticks. Ow, oh god, ow, invisible brain freeze… [via GorillaMask via EJB]
8 – The Invisibles Quiz this week was obviously built to make me feel like I have never seen a movie in my life. I got 3 out of 8. If you need to find me for the next week, please send comments to Luke c/o Netflix or Local Theater. [via Filmwise]
9 – This trailer for the documentary American Teen pulls all the right strings, heartwarming, earnest, clique-filled, heroic, etc. I was fully on board up until the very last shot after the title card. Seriously, awkwardly funny and just plain awkward are two totally different things and that shot falls badly on the wrong side of the line. [via FilmDrunk]
10 – For those of you who watch the Compassion Forum on CNN with Obama and Clinton (McCain declined the invitation), I really have only one main issue with the whole discussion. It was plainly an avenue for the Democratic Party to reach out to those faith-based voters that have traditional fallen under the umbrella of the Republican Party. With that goal in mind this was a great success and a valiant effort, but in order to not shun or scare the moderate or non-faith-based voting block the forum was emblazoned with the moniker of “Compassion”. Here’s the sticky part. Too many people are still under the opinion that you have to be religious to be compassionate. That you have to be hearing the voice of a god, any god, telling you to be nice to someone or treat them with a decent level of respect. Obama lightly teased that idea when he said we were not just a Christian nation, but a Jewish nation, a Hindu nation, a Muslim nation, a Buddhist nation and an Atheist nation or a nation of non-believers. The fact is I can walk up to someone and treat them with every ounce of respect that I have in my body and mind and act only out of the belief that it is the right thing to do, not because a random deity has directed me to do so. Compassion should be universal, religious doctrine should not.
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Posted 3 years, 10 months ago at 10:29 am. Add a comment
Of course the milk is fresh. The entire cow is in this can.
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