Ed's Review Dot Com

Illumination Entertainment,

Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Pierre Coffin

In this prequel to the Despicable Me films, we go back to the very beginning of time to see the creation of the minions. Since prehistoric times, the Minions have sought to help the most despicable criminals of the time, whether it be a T-rex or the Abominable Snowman, but it never seemed to work out for them until they met Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock). She has some great plans to use the Minions to help her become the baddest bad guy of all times.

This documentary feature shows how the minions got started. It’s a very cute movie, and I found I really enjoyed this film much more than the actual Despicable Me films. At least much more than the second one. I think because my favorite parts of the main films were the Minions to begin with. This movie introduces us to three special minions who are chosen to go out into the world and find a new bad guy to support. We get to meet Kevin, Stuart, and Bob, three special guys each with their own talents and personalities. I think this is what made this movie so enjoyable. They have a special bond, and are really funny. There’s a lot of things in this film that made it a lot of fun to watch. Sandra Bullock’s character is a bit over the top, but not as insane perhaps as Dru. Basically I was totally entertained by this movie, and I thought it was very well done. Certainly the story was interesting and very much fun. The kids will love it, but the adults in the group should have fun as well. I think they did an excellent job on this film, and I recommend it as one of the better animated films of the summer.

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1492 Pictures, Columbia Pictures, Happy Madison Productions,

Michelle Monaghan, Adam Sandler, Sean Bean, Peter Dinklage, Ashley Benson, Josh Gad, Kevin James, Jane Krakowski

Will Cooper (Kevin James) and Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler) were best friends as kids. In 1982 they competed in the Arcade Video Game World Championship. Sam came in second. The contest was taped, and along with other pop culture icons of the 80’s and the tape was sent in a capsule into space in the hope that an alien race might find it and come to visit. Decades have now passed, and Will has now become President of the United States, while Sam is working as an nerd squad installer of TV’s, sound systems, and game consoles. As they had hoped, an alien race has received the video tape, but misunderstood it as a declaration of war, and so now they have sent a war ship of real creations of video game characters to engage the Earth in a 3 life, winner take all, video game challenge. President Cooper has to call on Sam and their old crew to assist the military in a battle to save the world.

I was really anxious to see this film, mostly because I lived through the brief period of the height of the arcade period. My four sons and I spent plenty of quarters on the classic games. I can remember when Pong arrived, and was quickly followed by Asteroids, Space Invaders, and then a lineup of new games every week it seems. So I was interested in the the subject matter. I knew folks who had reservations as Sandler has lately had a rather weak batting average in the box office of late, unless it’s a rom-com with Drew Barrymore. But now that I’ve finally got a chance to see this film, I was NOT disappointed. Sandler did a really good job in this one, and he and Kevin James did a pretty good job with the assistance of Peter Dinklage, Sean Bean, and Michelle Monaghan. The story was really well done, and the tributes to the arcade games of our younger years was a lot of fun. Unfortunately they gave a lot of the best scenes away in the trailer, but still it was well done. It’s not really serious, it’s 99% comedy. But the gags are really good, and there are a lot of fun times here. This was one of those experiences where you can just kick back, eat your popcorn, and relax. No suspense, and the action is tongue in cheek, but there’s a lot of action, and the game play is very Ghostbuster-like. I enjoyed this film a lot, and I wish I had gone to see it a lot earlier. I don’t know why I waited so long. If you don’t mind silly concepts and Adam Sandler/Kevin James style humor, then you may not like it. But if you don’t mind that, I would highly recommend this one.

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Bold Films, Brothers Dowdle Productions, Living Films,

Owen Wilson, Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan, Sterling Jerins, Claire Geare

Jack Dwyer (Owen Wilson) has lost his company, but found a lucky opportunity to work for a large American Water Company in an Asian developing nation to upgrade their water system. He takes his wife Annie (Lake Bell) and their two young daughters to an upscale hotel to begin his new job. But they’ve landed right in the middle of a local uprising and Jack has to use all his skills and wits to stay a few steps ahead of the coup that is killing loyalists and foreigners on sight. With the help of an unusual character Hammond (Pierce Brosnan) who knows his way around pretty well, they are trying to find a way to get to a safe place to ride out all the violence.

This is a rapid fire suspense thriller. Owen Wilson was really a good casting decision as he really got to sink his chops into this one. The script is good, and the level of confusion they feel come across to us on screen as the terror builds. This is a situation that feels really accurate as the situation can get out of hand in a few minutes. There we are trapped with them in a foreign country with no idea what anyone is saying and no way to read any of the signs. Finding someone who can speak English is a real help in a horrible situation like this. The script is full of suspense and they literally are never out of grave danger. The audiences are seemingly enjoying this as the theaters are crowded, and I felt it was a really good roller coaster ride through the jungle.

I have to share an epiphany that I had while watching this film. It hit very close to home. In the year 1972 I was serving on a mission in Manila in the Philippines. One morning we had planned an exhibit right in the heart of Quiapo, the main area of the government buildings. Surprisingly no one came to see us, and as Americans we were often mobbed by people, mostly kids, who wanted to see us because we were different with the hairy arms and blue eyes and such. But no one came around and everyone walked with their eyes down without looking left or right. As we gave up and packed it in, we noticed that there were no newspapers anywhere on the street. The driver of the taxi turned on the radio and moved the tuner up and down the dial but there were no stations on.
At 7PM, the TV and Radios came back on, but only on the channels Ferdinand Marcos owned personally. It started with a military style march about Filipino pride, and Marcos came on to explain why he had declared martial law. The situation was very grim, and he had been planning this for many months. In order to pull it off, he had planned a vote on a new form of government using the Parliamentary System and was going to release all the Senators and Congressmen. But unfortunately a man, Ninoy Aquino had released a leaked plan of President Marcos’ plan to stay in power after the end of his term. Like the US, the President is only allowed to run for two terms and his time was ending. Aquino had spilled the beans and forced his hand, so he declared martial law, locked up Aquino and hundreds of other politicians who were against him, and took control for 10 years. Fortunately the population (kind of to my surprise) turned a blind eye, rolled over, and walked quietly around without a whimper. I could have been caught up in the middle of a coup, just like this little family in the movie. It could have been very frightening, but being 20 years old and feeling like nobody would ever mess with an American, we we on day after day as usual. But we learned a lot about how something like this can happen, and how it can change in temperament in a few minutes. It was a weird experience to think of this while watching this film. There is, of course, much much more to my story, probably enough to fill a book, but as to the film, I think I am not the only one who really enjoyed this movie. It’s kicking it in the box office, and rightly so. It’s rated R because of the graphic violence, but if you are not squeamish of that, this is a film you ought to see. I highly recommend this one as one powerful thriller.

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Lunch Box Entertainment,

Brian Wilson, Cher, Dick Clark, Glen Campbell, Lou Adler, Nancy Sinatra

Back in 2008 Denny Tedesco (son of legendary musician Tommy Tedesco) put together a top notch documentary, but it could never be released on DVD. Why? For one reason, the royalties for all the great songs that in this documentary. Back in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s the primary recording industry was based in California. Groups were being formed right and left from the legendary Beach Boys and Mama’s and the Papa’s to lesser knows bands like Gary Lewis and the Playboys. Phil Spector had invented the “Wall of Sound” and records were sounding terrific. But with the huge number of groups and recording sessions, a group of studio musicians grew more and more popular by the record companies. When they needed a drummer or a bass guitar or a keyboard player, they would find themselves calling on the same guys over and over. Pretty soon they were well known to each other and making a lot of money, but nobody outside the record business knew anything about these. Before they knew it, they were making mountains of money, and almost every song coming out of California’s music industry featured the same band. They would record for three or four different bands in a day. This fascinating documentary if filled with interviews and songs with many of the greatest musicians you every heard of, and many of the greatest session players that you never heard of.

This is a stunningly well done documentary. Now it helps me a lot because I was born in 1951 and grew up with this music and had no idea this was going on. Denny also grew up with these fabulous musicians and a lot of the film is about the lives of the families of the busiest musicians on the planet and how they survived. But the most wonderful part of this document is the part that nearly became it’s undoing, the fabulous music. This sounds like one of those PBS pledge breaks with the fabulous music of the 60’s, without the begging for money as hit after hit after hit is played filled in with reminiscing of those who still survived in 2008. Many of those on the DVD are gone now, and it’s wonderful to see and hear them again. There are hundreds of stories, and this DVD is so well done that you feel like you’re at a recording session when these folks all take a break to share stories and gags. The most fabulous this is that is now available on DVD to own, and you can purchase your own copy, if you’re a fan of the great music of this time period. It was a time for great songs, great lyrics, and great music from this secret band of highly talented people who came up on they fly the licks and phrases, and the great introductions and arrangements that we remember. This is a MUST NOT MISS for children of the 50’s and 60’s, and certainly worth watching by anyone who loves the oldies or appreciates the time when music was produced naturally and not electronically like it is today.

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Fox 2000 Pictures, Temple Hill Entertainment,

Lolita Davidovich, Britt Robertson, Alan Alda, Jack Huston, Scott Eastwood, Oona Chaplin

Sophia Danko (Britt Robertson) is a bright college student with big plans and goals in the art world. Luke Collins (Scott Eastwood) is a talented rodeo bull rider who was recently badly injured, but is looking for a huge comeback. But his doctors insist he should not be riding anymore. As sparks fly between the very different lovers, they find that opposites attract. But when they come upon an accident and Luke rescues the elderly man Ira Levinson (Alan Alda) from the car, they form a friendship. From this point on the tales intertwine in typical Nicholas Sparks fashion to tell the two stories.

Well, I must admit that I’ve seen a couple films based upon Nicholas Sparks books, and one thing for sure is that they’re all in the same style. So is this one with so many moments that feel like “The Notebook” that it’s remarkable. Still, it’s a good solid story, and two romantic tales for the price of one. Seriously, this is a chick flick. There’s no other way to put it. But I was impressed with the whole story. There was lots of rodeo action which helped keep my interest up. I’ve never really been sure what makes people want to do that. Really, there’s a lot of intense conflict to resolve and bring together to a fitting ending to the story. The performances are really good, and the script is really well done, so all in all it was a pretty interesting film. This is one I can recommend highly.

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