Robots (2005) (PG)

Robots (2005) (PG)
Directed by Chris Wedge
Voices of Halle Berry, Ewan McGregor, Robin Williams, Jim Broadbent

Daddy Says:

Apparently, not my day for good movies. From the makers of the Ice Age movies (the first one I kind of liked), comes Robots, a tale of a world populated entirely by well, you guessed it, robots. Rodney (voiced by Ewan McGregor) is a talented inventor who goes off to Robot City to make his fortune. He meets the girl (Halle Berry), the lovable sidekick (Robin Williams) and the villain and his mother (voiced by Greg Kinnear and Jim Broadbent respectively) who try to stop him from succeeding in his quest. Well, you can probably guess the rest.

It's all fairly predictable, but my kids both seemed to enjoy it. As for me, I found the many references to much better movies took me out of the moment and reminded me that there are a lot of better movies I could be watching right now. Seriously, this movie throws in parts of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars, Braveheart, The Wizard of Oz, Singin' in the Rain, and those are just the ones off the top of my head, any one of which I would have enjoyed more than this.

Robots is a very good looking film. The animation is decent. I just wish they hadn't spent the rest of the film's budget on hiring big name voice talent. If they had saved some money to be spent on an original script, this would have been a much better movie.

Grade for Robots: D-

Daughter Says:

Robots is a great movie for someone who just wants to sit down and enjoy the weekend. It has no sad or too emotional parts, so it's really fun to watch. All the good guys in this movie are likable and all the villains are obviously unlikable. It also had a good sound track that matched the personality of the movie perfectly.

I can't really find much wrong with this movie, I guess there were a lot of large name people. So I can see that it could have gone better. But the references were enjoyable. I always like to be able to know references in other movies; it makes me feel smarter.

Robots is definitely a movie for kids. It has plenty of humor and funny moments for them. Plus the Blue Men Group helped with the sound track and I love the Blue Men.

So my grade for this movie is exact opposite of Dad. "A"!!

Everybody's Fine (2009) (PG-13)

Everybody's Fine (2009) (PG-13)
Directed by Kirk Jones
Starring: Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell

Daddy Says:

I just don't think some movies were meant for me. Not that I'm incapable of appreciating the talent involved, simply that I'm not the target audience for a film like this. Everybody's Fine stars Robert DeNiro as a recent widower trying to reconnect with his now-adult aged children, but finding the lines of communication have been disabled for many years. His children (Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell) cancel last-minute on a family get-together, prompting him to make a surprise visit to each of them. What he finds is that their lives aren't all he thought they were.

Given the level of acting talent involved here, I really wanted to like this movie. Robert DeNiro is one of my all-time favorite actors. From Taxi Driver, to The Godfather Part II, to GoodFellas, to Raging Bull, I have enjoyed many of his performances. His performance here anchors the film nicely and almost succeeds in making the movie worthwhile. The actors playing his children do well with what they're given to work with, but the script feels like it's just going through the motions most of the time. There is very little emotional resonance, and not really any good dialogue to work with.

Overall, I don't exactly feel like I wasted my time by watching this, but at the same time I don't feel like I gained anything in return either. My grade may seem harsh, and I don't mean for it to be seen that way, but I do believe that the film should have at least made me care about more than one of the characters. Although most of the films I've been watching lately have been action movies, I can appreciate a good drama. This just isn't one.

Grade for Everybody's Fine: F

Daughter Says:

Everybody's Fine was an okay movie. I don't really care for sad and depressing movies and this just happens to be one of those types of movies. I tend to lean toward movies that liven up my mood, not bring it down. As for taking the movie in, completely taking out my stereotyping, it wasn't all that bad of a movie.

This movie had okay parts and a lot of secrets that weren't that well hidden. It gave the impression that the main character was a bit of an idiot, which he isn't. The character writing was alright, because he was an old man and he acted like one. He would walk around telling everyone he knows about his children and liked to ramble on to complete strangers. To me, in real life, people who tell their life stories to random strangers drive me insane so I was rolling my eyes through most of the movie.

Besides the eye rolling, there were a lot of sad moments. You could tell that the kids were hiding things from their dad, which is always a sad story for me. I hate lying to anyone, that's why I don't do it. Plus, it was sad when Robert DeNiro found out the secrets and still kept his emotions to himself. I had the urge to cry, but didn't.

Overall an okay movie, I wouldn't rate it a "F" so I'll give it a "C".

Hot Fuzz (2007) (R)

Hot Fuzz (2007) (R)
Directed by Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Bailey, Jim Broadbent

Daddy Says:

Hot Fuzz is an action-packed comedy/murder mystery from the makers of Shaun of the Dead. As in that film, they take a familiar genre of film (the zombie movie for that one, the buddy cop movie for this), and make it feel fresh again.

Simon Pegg stars as Nicholas Angel, promoted to Sergeant by virtue of his impeccable police work (his arrest record is 400% better than any other man on the force), he is then shipped off to small town so he'll stop messing with their statistics. Yes, he's promoted because he was throwing off the curve. He meets his new partner Danny (Nick Frost), Danny's father who runs the police force (Jim Broadbent, now known to most fans as Prof. Slughorn from the most recent Harry Potter movie), and a host of other colorful characters which I'll leave you to discover by watching so as not to spoil the fun. Nicholas remains as gung-ho as ever, but in this small town where nobody is ever murdered, no one believes him when people start dying in mysterious ways. It's up to him and his adoring partner to catch the bad guy.

This film is incredibly funny. The first time I watched it I had to rewind a few times to catch the parts I missed while laughing at the parts I had just seen. Incredible humor, great action scenes, you can tell the makers of this movie have a great affinity for these types of film, and while at the same time poking some fun at their conventions, they also realize that these are the things that make these movies fun to watch.

A word of warning if you are planning to watch this with families: there are some extremely graphic death scenes in this movie. One scene in particular near the middle of the film is about the most graphic death scene I can recall ever seeing in a movie. These scenes are played mostly for laughs, but they can still be disturbing. Sometimes I feel a little like a bad parent for letting my 9-year old watch with us, but he seems pretty balanced for a kid. He knows the things he sees in the movies aren't real. But please use your own judgment.

Grade for Hot Fuzz: A-

Daughter Says:

Hot Fuzz is a movie that knows how to make people laugh without going too far. Yes there are graphic scenes, dirty jokes, and even the occasional curse word, but I still loved this movie. It can make you laugh when having the worst of days.

Hot Fuzz has something in it for everyone: a mystery/murder, a cop movie, a bad comedy, and gory violence. Everything anyone could ever want in a movie, don't you think? This movie also has hiliarious refrences and pee your pants humor that keeps you laughing 'til your sides hurt.

The only downfall would be the ending, which I won't let it hurt my grading and I wouldn't even realize if Dad hadn't said anything. So don't let this judgment call stop you from watching this great comedy.

I grade this movie an "A".

Hero (2002) (PG-13)

Hero (2002) (PG-13)
Directed by Yimou Zhang
Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Ziyi Zhang

Daddy Says:

If you're ever asked "What the heck is Art Direction anyway?", you might try referring to this film. Hero is a joy to the eyes. Movies may be "motion pictures", but this film often looks amazingly like "motion art". Every scene is composed for maximum viewing pleasure. Director Yimou Zhang specializes in this type of gorgeous viewing experience.

But Hero is about more than just visual spectacle. Jet Li stars as the titular Hero, literally called Nameless. He has apparently done away with the three assassins the King fears the most. He arrives at the King's palace to receive his just reward, but not everything is as it seems. We're his actions motivated by an altruistic need, or does he have a darker motive? As in Rashomon, we get to watch as the same story of how Nameless was able to defeat the assassins, told several times from different points of view. Only in the end do we realize what did and did not actually happen.

Breathtaking choreographed fight scenes, emotion filled drama (my 9-year old son has seen this movie twice, once in English and now in Mandarin, and both times was moved to tears by the end of the film), this film is simply incredible. Don't let the fact that this is a "foreign" film dissuade you. Hero is not to be missed.

Grade for Hero: A

Daughter Says:

Hero is a breathtaking view of China, before China came to be. It covers the history behind the Great Wall of China, and two words that saved many lives and took many lives.

It wasn't just the powerful writing, but the colors that had me fixed to the screen. Every story is told in different colors. The actors robes and the scenery changes to match the person's interpretation of what happened.

This may be a foreign film, but you don't need the words to understand how emotional and gorgeous this movie is. You could never quite tell who the hero and the villain were. In the beginning it explains that in war, there is a hero on both sides.

Another amazing characteristic about this movie is the sounds. When every arrow is pulled, you can hear the bows creak. When every sword slices the air, you can hear the whistle of the wind. The only downer, would have to be the actors shouts when they're running. It makes me laugh every time. But you always need a good laugh, when it comes to serious movies.

I highly recommend this movie, for anyone who appreciates the arts and deep down emotions.I give Hero an "A+" !!

Avatar (2009) (PG-13)

Avatar (2009) (PG-13)
Directed by James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Sigourney Weaver

Daddy Says:

Hey look, a movie review for a film that's still in the theaters! Yes, your intrepid movie critic actually ventured out to see a film in an actual movie theater, instead of renting from the local video store. Why, you ask? Well, Sammi had a date who wanted to take her to the movies. Did I mention she's only 15? So one of us parental units felt it was our obligation to not just drop her off, but to actually be in the same theater, albeit eight rows back. I promise that keeping one eye on her and her friend won't color my opinion of the movie a bit.

For anyone who doesn't know, and judging by how much money this movie has raked in there aren't too many left, Avatar is the story of Jake Sully, recruited to fill the shoes of his dead brother because they share the same DNA. He has to link his mind to his "avatar", a sort-of imitation life-form that looks like the native species on the planet Pandora. The government agency wants to relocate the natives, so they can harvest the precious Unobtainium. No, I'm not kidding about the name. Along the way, Jake meets and falls in love with a native girl named Neytiri (played by Zoe Saldana, who was Lt. Uhura in the recent Star Trek reboot). They have adventures and Jake finds himself drawn to the the native people more than his own kind. If all this sounds vaguely like Pocahontas or Dances with Wolves, it felt that way at times.

The movie is impressive on a technical level. All the incredible colors of the scenery, the various lifeforms on Pandora, the interaction between CGI and actors all worked on a level I've never seen before. James Cameron shows off his skills as a director once again and has created an incredible spectacle. I can see why this movie is so popular. It immerses you into a world that, while dangerous, I could see myself wanting to go back to again and again.

But, and there is a "but" coming, I'm not going to rate this movie highly. As I mentioned, this movie feels a lot like Dances with Wolves to me. I would have preferred a more original story than this one, as it felt like it was just connecting the right dots many times. Also, and this could just be me, but I really don't like watching 3D movies. It feels like I'm watching a movie through one of the old View Masters. Yes, there's a sense of depth, but the different layers often feel very flat, just spaced out. I'm not sure I'm explaining this well, but you can tell that there are different layers to any given scene, but none of them feel three-dimensional.

I may re-evaluate my opinion with a second viewing at home someday, minus the 3D glasses. Until then...

Grade for Avatar: B-

Daughter Says:

I enjoyed Avatar, even though it was in 3D. The last movie I saw in 3D was Shark Boy and Lava Girl and that was bad. This on the other hand was very well done. I know it was different technology than Shark Boy and Lava Girl, but it still was very realistic. The friend I was with had seen it already and warned me not to try to touch the stuff. "It isn't really there." I had to tell myself over and over again.

Overall, the story line was pretty well written. I will agree that it did seem a bit like Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves. The adventures in the movie were well spaced and not rough either.

I liked this movie enough to give it an "A-"

District 9 (2009) (R)

District 9 (2009) (R)
Directed by Neill Blomkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Mandla Gaduka

Daddy Says:

District 9 is the story of what would happen if a huge alien spaceship got stalled while hovering in the sky above South Africa. Us humans go up to help out the refugee aliens, bring them down to earth and set them up in their very own slum (the title refers to the area the aliens are housed in). A government agent (Sharlto Copley), while informing the aliens that they are being evicted to even worse conditions, gets accidentally sprayed with a liquid which slowly begins to change him into something else. Upon learning that his government now wants to harvest him for spare parts, he is forced to go on the run and rely on the very species he was persecuting only days before.

This is a wonderfully made film. It's technically brilliant (the aliens are completely CGI, but never do they seem to be less than real). The film manages to bring true emotions to both their plight, and that of the agent on the run. It has incredible action, a great script full of imagination, and all the elements of a thoroughly entertaining science-fiction classic.

Grade for District 9: A-

Daughter Says:

I was really impressed by District 9. It took me on an adventure of a life time. I have never seen so much violence and transformations in an alien movie since, well, Alien. I enjoyed District 9 a whole lot and was only grossed out once; it wasn't even caused by the weird looking aliens, or the blood splattering onto the cameras. It was the part where he pulls off whole fingernails that made me want to throw up, and it ends pretty fast.

Its a very detailed story about trusting other kinds when you have no where else to turn. I liked this alien story a whole lot and hope they come out with a sequel, because they left it on a good cliff hanger.

I rate District 9 a "A-" for the cliff hanger.

Quantum of Solace (2008) (PG-13)

Quantum of Solace (2008) (PG-13)
Directed by Marc Forster
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olga Kurylenko, Mathieu Amalric, Judi Dench

Daddy Says:

So Sammi enjoyed Casino Royale so much that she actually wanted to see the sequel. Yes, my 15-year old daughter, lifelong devotee of light romantic comedies, actually wanted to see a James Bond movie. Hold on while I check. Nope, no ice in Hell. Are the Eagles still together?

Quantum of Solace takes over where the last movie left off. Bond (Daniel Craig) is hunting the people responsible for the death of his lover Vespar. In addition, an assassination attempt on M (played once again by the marvellous Judi Dench), takes matters to a higher level.

Though this movie has plenty of action, it's both filmed and edited poorly. No shot seems to last for more than a split second, and most of them are filmed with a handheld camera while running, making it difficult to tell what's going on at any given moment. Olga Kurylenko, Bond's female companion for this film, is adequate but nowhere near as good as Eva Green was in the previous film. The same goes for this movie's bad guy: Mathieu Amalric (who was incredible in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly). While I give the script props for making the villain also be an environmentalist, he's just not as interesting as a James Bond villain should be.

My review for Casino Royale asked "What more could you want from a James Bond film?". Apparently, I need more.

Grade for Quantum of Solace: D-

Daughter Says:

Ignore my Dad, I have wanted to see this movie ever since I saw previews for it on the tube. I must say though it is a bit surprising that I did want to see a Bond movie. But that's beside the point.

Quantum of Solace wasn't just hard to pronounce for me it also was hard to follow. All the bad guys were good and all the good guys were bad. It just left my brain all over the place. I'll give Bond this much, he does good action scenes. I was in love with the villain, Mathieu Amalric, in the last movie I saw him in (Dad listed above), but he was a bit of a disappointment in Quantum of Solace.

This movie gave me the impression of a chopping board. It was scene after scene with no grace or flow to it whats so ever. It made me kind of sad to see this in a Daniel Craig movie. I really like him.

This was still better than any of the other Bond movies in my book so I give this movie a "B-"