Ed's Review Dot Com

Fox 2000 Pictures, Regency Enterprises, Bagdasarian Productions,

Justin Long, Jesse McCartney, Matthew Gray Gubler, Christina Applegate, Anna Faris, Jason Lee, Alyssa Milano, David Cross, Andy Buckley, Tucker Albrizzi

The Chipmunks and the Chipettes are on a cruise vacation when accidentally they are carried overboard and end up on a desert island. But is it really deserted? Things get really weird as the Chipmunks try their best to get along and survive being castaways.

This is the 3rd in the recent Chipmunk movies. The first one felt really nostalgic and it was fun to see the boys again. The second was a bit tedious, and this one is nearly awful. But the kids, especially really little kids are probably going to love it. But it’s not one of those films that work well with adults and kids alike, so now that it’s out on DVD you can bring this home, and let the kids go at it while you pay bills or cook dinner! It’s really a good kids film. It doesn’t have anything bad in it, and the kids will really like it. But I gave it a middle rating, but actually I’d say that’s an average of 4 or 4.5 for those under 12 and definitely about a 2 for those over 12!

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Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Amblin Entertainment,

Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook, Daniel Mays, Gad Elmaleh, Joe Starr, Kim Stengel, Sonja Fortag, Tony Curran, Jamie Bell

Tintin (Jamie Bell) is a reporter who along with Snowy purchases a replica of the ship “The Unicorn” at a market stall, but is surprised that Mr. Sakharine (Daniel Craig) wants to buy it really bad. Tintin knows that there’s a mystery there somehow. It turns out there were three ships made by Sr Francis Haddock (Andy Serkis) for his 3 sons, and they hold the key to treasure beyond measure. Tintin sets out with Captain Haddock to find the 3rd ship while protecting the 2nd, to try to solve the mystery of the hidden treasure.

This all CGI film uses the same motion capture technology used in “Disney’s A Christmas Carol”, and others like “The Polar Express”. As a result, it gives you the creepy feeling that something is a bit too real to be unreal. I find it just a bit disconcerting seeing that. Video games are getting like that too, now, where it’s a little too accurate in it’s depiction of cartoon people. But this is a joyful little adventure. The story is decent, and reminds me of some of the classic cartoons of my childhood. There is a decent mystery at the root of it, and Tintin and his annoying little dog Snowy will get to the bottom of it. But Tintin is an everyman kind of guy, and not the absurd genius who can look at a smudge and tell you the history of the world from it. He works out the problems just like we do. I am sorry that this film did not pick up so much traction in the U.S. market, as it is a really good film, but it did quite well internationally where the people are more familiar with the comic version of the story. I think they must have done a good job of capturing the spirit of the comic in this tale.

I found myself interested in the story, which is good. Sometimes in this kind of kids tale, you lose interest after a while, but that did not happen here. It’s a good enough story for grown-ups too to enjoy. I found myself entertained throughout the film. All in all they did a very good job, and with the work they put into it (with Spielberg at the helm) I gather it will get them back a decent return on their investment. I suspectd this to be a pretty decent DVD market film as well, and it should be on your watch list if you haven’t seen it. I enjoyed it, and am happy to recommend this to lovers of animated adventure.

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Illumination Entertainment, Universal Pictures,

Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Betty White, Ed Helms, Danny DeVito, Rob Riggle

Ted (Zac Efron) sees the girl of his dreams, red haired Audrey (Taylor Swift) who is a fan of trees. But in the town of ThneedVille, there are no plants, no flowers, no vegetables, and none of the beautiful Truffula Trees. So Audrey has painted some one her house. Infatuated with Audrey, Ted sets out to find a tree for her. He is told to visit the once-ler who lives in a tower outside town. The Once-ler tells his story about how all the trees were lost and a magical creature called The Lorax who speaks for the trees.

This digitally animated film is based on The Lorax, a book by Dr. Seuss. Naturally a lot of filler material had to be added to a small children’s book, to make it a full length film. There are 4 musical numbers which help to fill it in, and an added back story about a greedy little guy, Mr. O’Hare who took advantage of the Once-ler’s mistake to build the artificial city so that he could sell fresh air. But mostly the movie is very faithful to the book.

The Lorax is a somewhat darker story than most Dr. Seuss stories. But it’s a good thoughtful tale of waste and greed and conservation. I often wondered how far to the left the dear Doctor was, but I think he wasn’t a radical tree hugger. I think he was a reasonable thoughtful man who truly wanted to tell good stories with good values. And certainly they are entertaining. So I don’t think this is a “think green” piece. I think kids will love this story for the colors and the characters. The music is pretty good. For the older folks, the character of Grammy Norma (Betty White) is really funny. She has some of the best lines in the film. The world of Dr. Seuss is brought to the screen in beautiful 3-D.

I really enjoyed this film. It’s fun, and interesting. It’s clever and smart. It’s good for the whole family. There are a lot of critics of this film, mostly by those who haven’t seen it yet. Like many things, people jump on the bandwagon to hate it before they see it. But after seeing it (I went in thinking it was going to be a disaster) I found myself won over. It was a whole lot better than I expected, and I hope people will give it a chance.

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DreamWorks Animation,

Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Amy Sedaris, Billy Bob Thornton

One of the cutest characters to come out of the Shrek films is Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). He has a sweet look that will melt your heart (the sad eyes!), and yet he’s a ferocious warrior. But where did he come from? This is the story of of the legendary feline fighter, Puss in Boots that shows us the answers to where he came from. With is friends Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) and Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek), Puss sets off on a quest to clear his name, as everyone thinks he wanted outlaw. Trying to win back Humpty Dumpty, he executes a plan to steal the magic beans back from the real bad guys, Jack and Jill, then head to the giant’s castle and grab the “golden goose”, and clear Puss’ name.

I was sorely disappointed in this movie. Man, I was so anxious to see it when I heard it was coming out. Puss in Boots was one of my favorite characters, after Shrek’s family, and the Donkey, and I was excited to pop this DVD in the player and see the story of Puss in Boots. Gee, it was awful boring. I just couldn’t get interested in the story, the characters are flat and uninteresting, and the action was flabby. There just wasn’t anything to sink your teeth into, and as time goes by, you realize you are not paying much attention, and suddenly things like dirty fingernails, or an itchy spot on your back are way more fascinating that this film. I really, really wanted to like this movie, and I just didn’t. With all the wonderful animated films out there, I would really watch Toy Story or Shrek again, before ever watching this one again. It seemed to go on forever. I am still disappointed though.

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Studio Ghibli, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Dentsu,

Bridgit Mendler, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Carol Burnett, David Henrie, Moises Arias

The Clock family, Mom, Dad, and Arrietty are tiny people, only 4 inches tall, who live in the walls of a family’s house. These “Borrowers” make expeditions into the house to get only items that are essential, never taking things that will be easily missed, or that they don’t need. But there is a young boy who is very sick has come to live in the house to rest and recover before surgery. When he spots Arrietty, things get dangerous for the little people, as they know that being seen by a human can be very bad for borrowers. This guy though is intrigued with the though of the little poeple and wants to meet and become friends with Arrietty and her family. Meanwhile, the housekeeper Hara (Carol Burnett) is also obsessed with the idea that little people may be living in the house, and set her heart on exterminating them once and for all.

This is a Japanese film, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, and brought to the big screen in America by the Disney folk at Buena Vista, this is a story based on the classic children’s book, “The Borrowers”. I remember not only reading this book myself, but reading it to my boys when there little, so the concept is rather interesting. But this is a real Japanese film, much like “Spirited Away” which Disney brought to the US some years ago. For fans of Japanese animation, this film is sure to please. We hit the theaters on Saturday afternoon with 4 grandchildren in tow. We took up a whole row across the front of the theater, and it was a fantastic experience. I enjoyed the film, and from the looks of the grandchildren, they enjoyed it as much as I did.

It’s colorful, and charming, and the soundtrack is really good. The characters are very well developed, and it’s an engaging story. For a cartoon feature, it’s got everything going for it. There is a separate cast for the US and the UK versions, and of course, an original Japanese cast.

Essentially, this is a really nice film for the whole family. I enjoyed it a lot, and recommend this to share with your kids. It seems to be a time when there are not a lot of kid films out there, and I’m sure this one will be enjoyed by the little ones. If you don’t get a chance to watch this in the theater, at least take a look at it once it comes out on DVD. It’s a well done little animated film.

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