REVIEW: Despicable Me (2D)

MOVIE
Despicable Me

CAST
Steve Carell, Jason Segal

RATING
PG

RELEASE
July 9, 2010

DIRECTOR(S)

Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

STUDIO(S)
Universal Pictures,

Illumination Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 35 minutes

GRADE
A (94)

STARS

***1/2

REVIEW:

Is Toy Story 3 sold out at your multiplex? Does The Last Airbender want to make you ask for a refund? Well look no further as Despicable Me is a funny, heartwarming, and sweet that can compete against many PIXAR and DreamWorks Animation films. Gru wants to be the worlds #1 supervillan. So he believes that in order to accomplish this goal, he must pull off the ultimate crime: he is going to steal the moon. But when he adopts three little girls for his plan, he must find the hero in himself and decide to be superbad and a superdad. When I say this competes with PIXAR and DreamWorks movies, I mean it. Why not have a supervillan as a good guy for a change. Steve Carell gives a very funny voice to Gru, the main character. Russel Brand, who's known for his R rated raunch-fests does a funny and unrecgonizable voice as Gru's mentor. Now it might look from the previews that Gru's minions would steal the movie, but the real show stealer is Angus, the youngest of the three orphaned girls, who's voiced by Elsie Fischer, a cute and sweet little girl that brings a lot of light to the movie. She also makes some of the movie's funniest jokes and most heartwarming moments. The minions were also featured in some of the funniest moments, although I expected them to be a bit funnier. The animation in this movie is like eye candy to the mind and almost looks like the animation in most PIXAR films. I personally saw this movie in 2D, because my local theater only got the 2D print of it. Even though it was still very enjoyable, this is one of those movies that's worth a 3D ticket boost. But overall, Despicable Me is a fun and sweet family film that adults will enjoy as much as the kids. Plus, this probably won't make you cry like how Toy Story probably did. I can surely say this will be considered for Best Animated Feature come awards season this year.

PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Ramona And Beezus

Cats And Dogs:

The Revenge Of Kitty Galore

Nanny McPhee Returns

Alpha And Omega

Tangled

The Smurfs Movie

REVIEW: Catch Me If You Can

MOVIE
Catch Me If You Can

CAST
Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hanks

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
December 25, 2002

DIRECTOR
Steven Spielberg

STUDIO
DreamWorks Pictures

RUNNING TIME

2 hours 21 minutes

GRADE
A+ (96.5)

STARS
****

REVIEW:

Get ready for a movie based on the ultimate game of Cat and Mouse. Frank Abagnale Jr. is a happy teenager living with his parents. But that's not all that Frank is. Before his 19th birthday, he successfully conned 2.3 million dollars out of U.S. banks through forged and homemade checks. So for about 5 years he sucessfully impersanates doctors, lawyers, etc. while making his cash and is still able to get away from the FBI. This movie is not a typical Spielberg flick. This isn't a summer blockbuster movie like Raiders Of The Lost Ark or E.T. Instead, it's a movie that's witty, fun, entertaining, and very fascinating to watch. Leonardo Dicaprio, Tom Hanks, and Christopher Walken are teriffic in this movie and deserved Oscar nominations. (I know Walken got nominated) This movie also happened to be very realistic and fantasy like at the same time. The women in the movie, and yes, there are alot, are potrayed beautifully by many talented actresses like Amy Adams and Jennifer Garner. The chemistry between Dicaprio and Hanks is nearly perfect. Also, it's very interesting how Frank, the main character always manages to slip through the fingers of the FBI, until whenever it ends. But if you're a Spielberg fan and is very interesting in true like stories, then see Leo and Tom have it out in Catch me If You Can.

REVIEW: Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy

MOVIE
Anchorman:
The Legend Of Ron Burgundy

CAST
Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
July 9, 2004

DIRECTOR
Adam McKay

STUDIO
DreamWorks Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 34 minutes




GRADE
A




STARS
***1/2






REVIEW:

What can I say, Will Ferrell's a very funny man, especially in this one. In San Diego circa mid 1970s, Ron Burgundy led the ratings as top rated newsman. But what Ron and his team don't realize is... times are changing. So before he knows it, he has a new co Anchor and it's a women, which in the 70s didn't happen since men were still the dominent race in the news. Well, to me this is one of those rare times when the trailer shows some of the funniest parts in the movie itself. I'm not saying this is a bad movie, but I'm saying that it didn't live up to what I hoped for. Unlike what most people say, I don't think this was the funniest Will Ferrell movie. My favorite Will Ferrel comedy is actually Taladega Nights: The Balled Of Ricky Bobby, which came out two years after this movie. Will Ferrell, who does a good job in this is not the funniest character in the movie. Personally, I think the funniest character in this movie is Steve Carell as Brick Tamland, (SPOILER) a crazy, idiotic man who said at the beginning of the movie that in a few years, a doctor would tell him that he has an IQ of 48 and is considered "mentally retarded." (END) I think that he stole the show from everyone and more. The rest of the cast, including Paul Rudd, David Koechner, Vince Vaughn, and funny cameos from Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller were also funny, but not as funny as Steve Carell. I would also like to point out that the "Afternoon Delight" scene is quite funny to see and listen to. But if you do enjoy Will Ferrell and/or just love comedies in general, Anchorman is a must see. So if you have time, I recommend you going out and renting Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy.

REVIEW: The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

MOVIE
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

CAST
Kristen Stewart,

Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
June 30, 2010

DIRECTOR
David Slade

STUDIO
Summit Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 4 minutes

GRADE
A+

STARS
****

REVIEW:

Yes, the new Twilight phenomenon is here, and it's the best Twilight in the series. Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight saga takes us where we left off in the last movie. Now, Bella has a choice: Either she can be with Edward, her long-time vampire love, or confess her feeling for Jacob, her long-time friend who is a werewolf, the longtime enemy to a vampire. At the same time, Victoria, who's been hunting to kill Bella after Edward and his family, the Cullens killed Victoria's mate, James is creating a newborn vampire army to kill the Cullens off and make them unstoppable. Before anyone can say anything, Twi-hards will not be disappointed with this movie. What makes this Twilight movie different from the others is that this is the most intense Twilight made so far. Wait, not just the most intense, but the most violent and frightening. So for any young Twilight fans between the ages of 9 and 11 who want to see this, be warned that there's a lot of suspenceful scenes in it. The acting in this movie is better than in the first two movies, even though Kristen Stewart, who plays Bella, the main character always seems bored when she talks, almost as if she doesn't even want to do these movies. The only other critisism I have is that the special effects, mostly of Jacob Black and the rest of his tribe in wolf form doesn't look very realistic, no matter how hard they tried. But overall, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is one of the summer's most entertaining films. Plus, this Twilight movie might appeal to guys as much as girls due to the heavy action thrown in, thanks to David Slade, the director of the vampire horror flick 30 Days Of Night. But if you do see it, don't see it in IMAX, because in my opinion, this isn't one of those movies you have to see on the world's biggest screen, but just ona regular movie screen would be just fine for it. So if you haven't already, (even though you're probably going to see it for the third time already) go out with your friends and check out The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.

PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Charlie St. Cloud

Step Up 3D

Easy A

Red

Paranormal Activity 2

Harry Potter

And The Deathly Hallows

The Chronicles Of Narnia:

The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader

REVIEW: Meet The Fockers

MOVIE
Meet The Fockers

CAST
Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
December 22, 2004

DIRECTOR
Jay Roach

STUDIO(S)
Universal Pictures,

DreamWorks Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 56 minutes

GRADE
A+

STARS
***3/4

REVIEW:

Meet The Parents was probably the funniest movie of 2000. Four years later, a sequel called Meet The Fockers came out, and it was actually one of the funniest sequels I've seen in my life so far. Greg (Gaylord) Focker had to spend a weekend with his fiance's parents, one of which is an ex member of the CIA. Now, Greg, Pam (his fiance), and Pam's parents must spend a weekend with Greg's parents, the Fockers. Well, the problem with Greg's parents is that, his mom is a sex therapist for senior citizens and his dad is a former lawyer that loves family. This is going to turn into an interesting weekend. All I can say is, this movie is just plain funny. It's filled with so many jokes that you can hardly say which one's your favorite. The entire cast does a terrific job at making a funny movie for the audience to love. But if you're a teenager like me who enjoyed the first one, this sequel has A LOT more sexual content than the first one, most of the time including a rubber breast for breast feeding. But most of the sexual content teenagers would understand and laugh at. There are also some funny scenes with Pam's family cat, Jinxie and Greg's family dog, Moses. I would also like to point out that this movie leads perfectly into another sequel. (Coming this Christmas) Overall, Meet The Fockers is a very funny sequel that anyone over the age of 12 would really really enjoy. So if you love comedy of any sorts or a big Ben Stiller or Robert De Niro fan, then watch Meet The Fockers, the smash hit sequel to Meet The Parents.