Two sequels came out Memorial Day Weekend. One fell short of expectations, and the other skadooshed, at least my expectations out of the water...
The Hangover: Part 2
Directed By Todd Phillips
Starring Bradley Cooper as Phil, Ed Helms as Stu, Zach Galifanakis as Alan, and Ken Jeong as Leslie Chow
The sequel takes The Wolf Pack to Thailand, for Stu's wedding this time, and much like the last one a night of partying goes awry, and Phil, Stu, and Alan must retrace their steps to set things right before the wedding. Sounds a lot like the first one right? Well, The Hangover Part 2 is quite literally, a shot-for-shot remake of the original for about 70% of its viewing time.
Instead of a baby, there's a monkey. Instead of losing Doug, the groom, they lose Teddy, the younger brother of Stu's bride Laura. Instead of losing a tooth and marrying a whore, Stu gets a Mike Tyson-inspired tattoo and....I'll uh, leave this part for you to find out. A lot of the same gags and plot twists are reused, and that element of surprise from The Hangover is lost in a sense. There is some shock value to it, as the jokes in this movie are edgier, darker. Does that work? Meh. You will laugh during this movie, but not after so many repeat viewings like people did with the original.
Now I did enjoy this movie. The reason everyone out their is hating on it, I think, is because they were expecting a bit of surprise like they did in its predecessor. Instead Todd Phillips and his crew went by the "If it's not broke, don't fix it" philosophy, and I admire them for sticking to their guns, and giving us something like the original. But they will have to change the game for their third outing, which is happening.
Every cast member displays the talent they did in the first movie, but Zach Galifanakis I feel is starting to lose his appeal fast. Paul Giamatti does great as a mob boss for the little time we see him, just saying. Ken Jeong does well with the more screen-time he's given, but the same way I see him in Community as Senor Chang, a little too much of him can be, well too much.
Even if you're the most cynical of moviegoers, I recommend seeing this sequel at least once, even if its not the great instant classic its predecessor was. It still delivers an hour and a half worth of laughs.
Kung Fu Panda 2
Directed By Jennifer Yuh Nelson
Starring Jack Black as Po, Dustin Hoffman as Master Shifu, Angelina Jolie as Tigress, and Gary Oldman as Lord Shen
Like any good sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2 addresses any questions left unanswered in the original, like "Why is Po's dad Mr. Ping a goose?". Oh boy does this movie answers that question. The movie begins by explaining how the young peacock prince of Gongmen City, Lord Shen, heard a soothsayer tell his parents if he continued down his path of using fireworks as weapon to take over China, he would be destroyed by a warrior of black and white. Determined to change his destiny, Shen set out with his army of wolves to the land of the pandas, and wiped them all out, and in response was banished by his parents. But one day Shen vowed he would return for revenge...
And he does, and of course he didn't wipe out all the pandas, for we have Po, living out the kung fu lifestyle with The Furious Five and his master Shifu, who tells him he must achieve inner peace in the next phase of his training. To truly do this, he will have to face the mystery of his origins, which interlink his and Lord Shen's destinies, as Po and The Furious Five set out to stop him from taking all of China with his firework cannon arsenal.
Kung Fu Panda 2 boosts both the action and emotion of the first movie while tying together well with the original in all aspects. The voice actors from the original continue to do great work, Jack Black and Angelina Jolie stand out at the top of the pack. Dustin Hoffman as Shifu, who was so good in the first, isn't given much to do here unfortunately. James Hong as Mr. Ping continues to be very comical, but this time around very touching as well. Gary Oldman is perfect as Lord Shen, making him one of the best villains in a Dreamworks animated movie.
All the new characters are welcome additions, and the animation, is spectacular. It makes great use of three different styles: classic hand-drawn, modern computer generated, and stunning Chinese puppetry like animation, and all three forms motivate the storytelling aspect of this movie perfectly. The hand-drawn this time around isn't as nice to look at as the hand-drawn in the first Kung Fu Panda in my opinion. In 2, it looks, cheaper, dare I say. Hans Zimmer, with the help of John Powell, creates such a powerful score for the movie, and continues to show he is a musical force not be reckoned with. The action scenes are cool to watch, and the cliffhanger at the end...oh man, they got to get working on Kung Fu Panda 3 now.
Kung Fu Panda 2 is a rare animated sequel that exceeds its predecessor. There's four more coming, hopefully they will be just as enjoyable as the first two.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Film Reviews- "Thor" & "Pirates of The Caribbean 4"
Thor:
Directed By Kenneth Branagh.
Starring Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin...
Thor tells the story of the fourth, arguably lesser-known Avenger of Norse mythology. The film begins with a young Thor and his brother Loki learning from their father Odin of the history of Asgard, and how Odin prevented the Frost Giants from conquering The Nine Realms. We then learn only one of the two youngsters will ascend the throne after Odin. Obviously, it is Thor who is chosen.
Before Thor can take the throne, The Frost Giants attack Asgard, and Thor leads a retaliation strike with his friends to their realm against his father's wishes. Odin finds out, strips Thor of his power and the throne and banishes him to Earth, where he's taken in by Jane Foster and her team of scientists. While adjusting to life on Earth, Thor gradually starts to mature, learn what it means to be a man and such. Meanwhile, his mischievous brother Loki plots to take the throne of Asgard for himself...
This was a very entertaining movie with a great script and great characters. Branagh gives this comic-book hero tale a level of Shakespearian tone. The action scenes and effects are phenomenal. All of the actors fit their roles perfectly. Kat Dennings as Darcy does too, but her character gets annoying, and seems unnecessary. She's there for comic relief, but Thor himself brings enough of the laughs. If there was one more thing I had to pick at is Thor's evolution through the movie. At times it feels rushed, or not given the proper attention it needs to movie the story along. But maybe it's just me. I found this to be a great movie and highly recommend it.
Pirates of the Caribbean 4- On Stranger Tides:
Directed By Rob Marshall
Starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Penelope Cruz as Angelica, Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa, and Ian Mcshane as Blackbeard
Captain Jack Sparrow returns on his own adventure, sans Will Turner or Elizabeth Swan. While trying to save his first mate Gibbs from the gallows in London, Jack learns King George II has commissioned an expedition to find The Fountain of Youth before Spain does. The one leading the expedition? Captain Barbossa, now in service of the British Navy, having lost the Black Pearl to someone else on the hunt for the Fountain, the infamous Captain Blackbeard.
Soon Jack runs into an old flame, Angelica, impersonating him hoping to get a crew together for an expedition to The Fountain. Jack finds himself prisoner aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, headed by Blackbeard himself, who turns out to be Angelica's father. The race to the fountain begins that includes vicious mermaids, haunted ships, and the Spanish armada.
Of all the Pirates sequels, this I found to be the most enjoyable. It was just a straight adventure in vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it didn't get caught up in a complex mythology like Dead Man's Chest or At World's End did. Jack Sparrow the character isn't as enjoyable as he used to be, put he still is fun to watch, and Johnny Depp does a great job bringing the character to life again. Penelope Cruz is delightful as Angelica, Ian McShane is pure evil as Blackbeard, and Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa is a lot more "tame" in this film, but still a job well done. The romance between clergyman Sam and mermaid Serena wasn't what I thought it was going to be, a new version of Will and Elizabeth. It was interesting to watch unfold, and it didn't slow the movie down. My one issue is I wish the climax at the Fountain of Youth was put on a grander scale. The action seemed a bit mellow for my taste.
All in all I enjoyed this fun adventure movie, and it is my favorite of the Pirates of The Caribbean sequels.
Directed By Kenneth Branagh.
Starring Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin...
Thor tells the story of the fourth, arguably lesser-known Avenger of Norse mythology. The film begins with a young Thor and his brother Loki learning from their father Odin of the history of Asgard, and how Odin prevented the Frost Giants from conquering The Nine Realms. We then learn only one of the two youngsters will ascend the throne after Odin. Obviously, it is Thor who is chosen.
Before Thor can take the throne, The Frost Giants attack Asgard, and Thor leads a retaliation strike with his friends to their realm against his father's wishes. Odin finds out, strips Thor of his power and the throne and banishes him to Earth, where he's taken in by Jane Foster and her team of scientists. While adjusting to life on Earth, Thor gradually starts to mature, learn what it means to be a man and such. Meanwhile, his mischievous brother Loki plots to take the throne of Asgard for himself...
This was a very entertaining movie with a great script and great characters. Branagh gives this comic-book hero tale a level of Shakespearian tone. The action scenes and effects are phenomenal. All of the actors fit their roles perfectly. Kat Dennings as Darcy does too, but her character gets annoying, and seems unnecessary. She's there for comic relief, but Thor himself brings enough of the laughs. If there was one more thing I had to pick at is Thor's evolution through the movie. At times it feels rushed, or not given the proper attention it needs to movie the story along. But maybe it's just me. I found this to be a great movie and highly recommend it.
Pirates of the Caribbean 4- On Stranger Tides:
Directed By Rob Marshall
Starring Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Penelope Cruz as Angelica, Geoffrey Rush as Hector Barbossa, and Ian Mcshane as Blackbeard
Captain Jack Sparrow returns on his own adventure, sans Will Turner or Elizabeth Swan. While trying to save his first mate Gibbs from the gallows in London, Jack learns King George II has commissioned an expedition to find The Fountain of Youth before Spain does. The one leading the expedition? Captain Barbossa, now in service of the British Navy, having lost the Black Pearl to someone else on the hunt for the Fountain, the infamous Captain Blackbeard.
Soon Jack runs into an old flame, Angelica, impersonating him hoping to get a crew together for an expedition to The Fountain. Jack finds himself prisoner aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, headed by Blackbeard himself, who turns out to be Angelica's father. The race to the fountain begins that includes vicious mermaids, haunted ships, and the Spanish armada.
Of all the Pirates sequels, this I found to be the most enjoyable. It was just a straight adventure in vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it didn't get caught up in a complex mythology like Dead Man's Chest or At World's End did. Jack Sparrow the character isn't as enjoyable as he used to be, put he still is fun to watch, and Johnny Depp does a great job bringing the character to life again. Penelope Cruz is delightful as Angelica, Ian McShane is pure evil as Blackbeard, and Geoffrey Rush as Barbossa is a lot more "tame" in this film, but still a job well done. The romance between clergyman Sam and mermaid Serena wasn't what I thought it was going to be, a new version of Will and Elizabeth. It was interesting to watch unfold, and it didn't slow the movie down. My one issue is I wish the climax at the Fountain of Youth was put on a grander scale. The action seemed a bit mellow for my taste.
All in all I enjoyed this fun adventure movie, and it is my favorite of the Pirates of The Caribbean sequels.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Film Review- "Rio"
Rio
Directed By Carlos Saldana
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, and Leslie Mann
Our story begins in the land of Rio De Janeiro, where a tiny orphan blue macaw named Blu (Played by Jesse Eisenberg) is poached and taken to Minnesota, where a young girl named Linda (Leslie Mann) promises to always take care of them. Years later, an older, flightless Blu is living happily in his owner's bookstore when an ornithologist named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) arrives and informs them that Blu is the last male of his kind, and if he does not meet and mate with the last female of his kind, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), the species may become extinct.
At first reluctant, Linda and Blu decide to travel back to Rio with Tulio for our feathery friends to meet. Naturally, Blu and Jewel's first encounter does not go well, and it only goes downhill from there, when they are kidnapped by poachers, chained together, and lost in the Brazilian jungle. Blu and Jewel must work together to get free of their chains, and reunite with Linda, with the help of Rafael the toucan (George Lopez), Luiz the bulldog (Tracy Morgan), and two samba-loving birds named Nico and Pedro (Jamie Foxx and Will.I.Am.), all the while avoiding the poacher's pet cockatoo Nigel (Jermaine Clement) and his gang of monkey henchmen. Oh, and of course through all this Blu tries to learn how to fly, and win Jewel's heart (That's kind of important lol)
Rio runs short of the usual animated-feature time-length at 82 minutes, but it's an enjoyable 82 minutes nonetheless. The animation is beautiful and I think captures the scene of Rio, Brazil exceptionally, and every member of the voice cast is spot-on.
Rio also has some really great music in it, although some of the songs are too forgettable. The opening/closing number and Will.i.am and Jamie Foxx's duet in the bird's samba club are the greatest of the playlist. Anne Hathaway proves that she in fact can sing, and that her number(s) at the Oscars were no fluke, given the fact she sings for about 30 seconds the whole movie. I feel like if the producers put more emphasis into the musical aspect of this movie, given it more of a "Disney musical" edge, extended and had the characters sing more of the songs, this movie would have had a better lasting impact.
All in all, Rio is a beautiful film, just more mediocre than it should of been, due to the typical love-story (Even though it was still very touching), it's short run time, and the underplayed music. But despite all that, I still highly recommend it.
So next week I will DEFINITELY have a Weekly Episodes post, because there's a lot to look forward to, such as:
-A bachelor party episode of "Chuck", which will also reveal the mysterious Agent X we've been hearing about for awhile.
-A beloved character from "How I Met Your Mother"'s past returning.
-A mother's day episode of "Modern Family"
AND, the first of a two part "Community" Paintball War, which is sure to be just as epic as the "Modern Warfare" episode from last season, possibly even more epic.
So stick around, because May is upon us, and Season Finales are fast approaching!
-Chris
Directed By Carlos Saldana
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, George Lopez, and Leslie Mann
Our story begins in the land of Rio De Janeiro, where a tiny orphan blue macaw named Blu (Played by Jesse Eisenberg) is poached and taken to Minnesota, where a young girl named Linda (Leslie Mann) promises to always take care of them. Years later, an older, flightless Blu is living happily in his owner's bookstore when an ornithologist named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) arrives and informs them that Blu is the last male of his kind, and if he does not meet and mate with the last female of his kind, Jewel (Anne Hathaway), the species may become extinct.
At first reluctant, Linda and Blu decide to travel back to Rio with Tulio for our feathery friends to meet. Naturally, Blu and Jewel's first encounter does not go well, and it only goes downhill from there, when they are kidnapped by poachers, chained together, and lost in the Brazilian jungle. Blu and Jewel must work together to get free of their chains, and reunite with Linda, with the help of Rafael the toucan (George Lopez), Luiz the bulldog (Tracy Morgan), and two samba-loving birds named Nico and Pedro (Jamie Foxx and Will.I.Am.), all the while avoiding the poacher's pet cockatoo Nigel (Jermaine Clement) and his gang of monkey henchmen. Oh, and of course through all this Blu tries to learn how to fly, and win Jewel's heart (That's kind of important lol)
Rio runs short of the usual animated-feature time-length at 82 minutes, but it's an enjoyable 82 minutes nonetheless. The animation is beautiful and I think captures the scene of Rio, Brazil exceptionally, and every member of the voice cast is spot-on.
Rio also has some really great music in it, although some of the songs are too forgettable. The opening/closing number and Will.i.am and Jamie Foxx's duet in the bird's samba club are the greatest of the playlist. Anne Hathaway proves that she in fact can sing, and that her number(s) at the Oscars were no fluke, given the fact she sings for about 30 seconds the whole movie. I feel like if the producers put more emphasis into the musical aspect of this movie, given it more of a "Disney musical" edge, extended and had the characters sing more of the songs, this movie would have had a better lasting impact.
All in all, Rio is a beautiful film, just more mediocre than it should of been, due to the typical love-story (Even though it was still very touching), it's short run time, and the underplayed music. But despite all that, I still highly recommend it.
So next week I will DEFINITELY have a Weekly Episodes post, because there's a lot to look forward to, such as:
-A bachelor party episode of "Chuck", which will also reveal the mysterious Agent X we've been hearing about for awhile.
-A beloved character from "How I Met Your Mother"'s past returning.
-A mother's day episode of "Modern Family"
AND, the first of a two part "Community" Paintball War, which is sure to be just as epic as the "Modern Warfare" episode from last season, possibly even more epic.
So stick around, because May is upon us, and Season Finales are fast approaching!
-Chris
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