Fish and Cherries Productions

Mr. Peabody and Sherman was a fairly good movie that also left me a little disappointed. One of the movie’s biggest strengths is that it’s very intelligent, both in most of its humor and Peabody being portrayed as a Holmesian genius prodigy, which is a nice touch. However, the film’s greatest strength is also a potential drawback, as some of the humor might be so sophisticated that it might leave some of the younger viewers feeling lost. But the biggest drawback is the character of Ms. Grunion, whose only purpose is to be a one-dimensional antagonist that simply exists to harass Peabody and make him miserable, even getting excited about him getting possibly put down, with no believable motive or reason for doing so apart from “he’s a dog and dogs shouldn’t raise humans.” That does stand aside some other heavy and well thought out conflicts and themes too, like parenting techniques, what family truly is, and other such things that really have a lot of heart and make you feel for these characters. However, this comes at the expense of a rather cliched story and some fairly tired tropes, like the aforementioned bully in Ms. Grunion and also isn’t as strong in the laugh department. So as you can tell, I’m fairly mixed about this movie. It’s much more mature than the advertisements make it out to be and it’s very smart, but the intelligence is held back by a rather formulaic plot. But it is far superior to any of the other adaptation of the segments of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show that came before it, so take that for what it’s worth.

After watching Cloud Atlas, I have come to two conclusions. The first is that this movie is incredible and the Wachowski’s best film to date. The second is that somehow, someway, this movie has changed me. The movie itself is a beautiful tale about how one drop in the ocean can create waves that can reach places that the drop could never have dreamed of and will probably never see. It may be an old lesson, but it’s one that will always ring true. The way that everything connects is absolutely astounding, which is amplified by the multiple-role casting across six different stories that are kept perfectly balanced. I can say without a doubt that I will be seeing this movie again and that it has earned a place as one of my all-time favorite movies.

The first time I saw The Wolverine, I was so exhausted that I kept dozing off. After seeing it again, I can definitively say that it is a conflicting movie. On the downside, it drags very heavily in the second act and some of the action scenes feel incredibly long. On the upside, the action scene on the bullet train is absolutely amazing and it cleanses the pallet of the previous, rather awful Wolverine movie. It also avoids one of the major problems of the first movie where they made an action movie around an indestructible protagonist and instead made it a drama with action scenes. After all, there are few characters who have as much easily mineable angst as Wolverine. The movie is far from perfect, as there are a few characters that feel underutilized or underdeveloped, but on the whole, it’s worth a watch. There’s also a post-credits scene that will make fans of the franchise wet their pants, so there’s that too.

The LEGO Movie took me completely by surprise and blew my socks off. By all rights, it had no right to be good, as it seemed like a complete complete cosh cow movie. But somehow, it turned out to be the one of the most imaginative and fun movies for the whole family that takes a twist into straight up meta commentary by the end. The big thing that makes the movie run so well, apart from the really fast comedy coming at you most of the time, comes from the fact that it is, in fact, a LEGO movie, thus everything is based around LEGO physics, motion, and logic. This leads to a lot of jokes and clever use of the set pieces, which I mean quite literally. Honestly, I don’t think the movie would have worked if it took itself completely seriously, but since the plot runs on complete irony, that’s not a problem. Oh, and the acting is superb too, including Charlie Day, who I never would have recognized were it not for the credits. I’m not sure if anyone who hasn’t played with LEGOs or had a kid who did so would enjoy this movie as much apart from the subtle adult jokes that would slip past the kids, but maybe they could. It’s one of the most upbeat, charming, grin-inducing movies that I’ve seen in a while and I think it deserves a watch. Go out and feel like a kid again.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is a superb movie with some very serious drawbacks. As I was watching, I realized that the biggest strength of the Middle-Earth movies is the set design, as all of the scenery looks absolutely immaculate. Other great elements are the characters, their interactions, the river scene, and especially Smaug himself, who Benedict Cumberbatch gives a wonderful voice to. The biggest drawback is the ending, or lack thereof. The climax inside the dwarf halls feels like a massive build-up to the conflict at Rivertown that anyone who read the book knows is going to happen, but right as Smaug is flying towards the town, the movie just abruptly ends. Sadly, this makes the second movie in the Hobbit trilogy feel very much like it was just setting up set pieces for the final installment. However, the acting is still great, the casting is wonderful, the excessive build-up is still good build-up, and it is a huge improvement over the previous installment. I would tell you to see it, but let’s face it: it’s a Middle-Earth movie directed by Peter Jackson, so you already have.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones was a huge disappointment, at least until the third act where it became halfway decent. The first two acts were a constant parade of exposition and action scenes with almost no time for character development. On top of that, the pacing, acting (save for the main actress), and script are fairly poor. Plot threads are set up and left dangling, possibly for the sequel or possibly because of the cut source material. Some reviews label it as the next Twilight, but to me it feels like the next Eragon. Twilight at least set time aside for characterization, though admittedly the romantic chemistry is just as bad. There are some redeeming moments, but those can’t be discussed for spoiler reasons and they raise even more questions. The least that can be said about it is that it’s entertaining, but the truth is that you’ve seen this movie before and better under many different titles. No need to waste your money on this one.

Still better than Man of Steel, though.

Captain Phillips is a true nail-biter which also happens to be intelligently written. It is hard to believe that anyone could go through what the good captain went through and keep it together so well, but if anyone can make such an outlandish true story seem believable, it’s Tom Hanks. Special mention go to Barkhad Abdi, who plays the front man of the Somalian pirates, for playing a truly engrossing and nuanced villain. But the biggest accomplishment of the film is that it goes to show that everything can go absolutely according to plan and something could still go wrong, as showcased in the pirate’s invasion of the ship. I really don’t know what else to say about it. It’s just really good.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty should have been heartwarming whimsical movie that I fell in love with, but instead frustrated me to no end. The biggest problem is that none of the characters act in a way that any relatable human being would, which culminates in a near end twist that really took me out of the movie. The parts that are clever or heartwarming come at the expense of being a paint-by-numbers cliche. The dialogue comes off as very awkward, which is intentional, but not the awkward that lends itself to good writing that someone like Joss Whedon can produce. I am sure that I will appreciate the message and the intent behind it, but I was too frustrated and bored to enjoy watching it.

This Is The End is a movie that really shouldn’t have worked, yet had me doubled over laughing for the entire film. The idea of a bunch of Hollywood actors playing exaggerated versions of themselves as a band of survivors in the Biblical Apocalypse sounds like something that should fall flat on its face, but it surprisingly carries the whole way through, in part because the actors look like they’re having a ball making it. To say more would risk spoiling some hilarious scenes, so I’ll give you some brief non-spoiler comedic highlights: Jonah Hill’s shtick as the nicest guy in the world, Jason Siegel lampooning his own role on How I Met Your Mother, Michael Cera as an unapologetic sex and cocaine addict, anything that Craig Robinson does, the fake trailer for Pineapple Express 2, and EVERYTHING involving Emma Watson. So if you’re into getting some unapologetically raunchy and ridiculous comedy with a surprising amount of heart, catch it in theaters while you can. That said, approach with caution if you’re allergic to the Backstreet Boys because you’ll have that stuck in your head after you’re done.

August: Osage County is a film about an extremely dysfunctional family that is not afraid to go to some very uncomfortable places. Every person in the family has some secrets or vices and in lesser hands, it might feel like a soap opera. Some instances do feel like a soap opera, but a very watchable one. I actually think that this is a movie designed to make the viewer feel uncomfortable, right down to the laughs and the implication by the end that Julia Roberts’ character may have become as bad as her mother played by Meryl Street. The big weak point that I see, as loathe I am to admit it because I like him, is Benedict Cumberbatch; I found his character a little too melodramatic, he disappears for almost the entire third act, and it’s hard to tell if his southern accent is convincing or not. I’m hesitant to recommend this movie because I feel like it’s an acquired taste and you won’t walk away from it feeling joyful, but at the very least, I enjoyed it, so take that for what it’s worth.