Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Rating: 25%
Well I said I was going to watch at least two of the other animated feature nominees besides Frozen and maybe The Wind Rises. So let's take a look at Despicable Me 2.

Plot: Gru has now stopped all of his plans as a villain and is now a devoted father to Margo, Edith and Agnes. But when a secret base gets stolen by an unknown villain, the Anti-Villain League recruits Gru to use his knowledge as an ex-villain to find out who is behind it. So he goes out to find the villain behind this with an agent named Lucy as his partner, while also dealing with his oldest adopted child, Margo, is starting to have feelings for a boy.

Okay, for the many of you who have mostly likely not seen my review for the first film...I didn't like it. I really, really wanted to. The trailers looked like it was going to be so hilarious and clever, but I thought it was so predictable and almost everything about it from there was just not that interesting, thus the hilarious and clever movie I thought I was going to see turned out to be Megamind. Which is ironic because I thought that was going to be stupid. Yeah, yeah I know, don't judge a book by its cover. So the other one was...better, but not by much. The story was less predictable, but not by a whole lot, it was a little nicer to see the girls and Gru together with the events of the first film behind them, and while I don't find the minions, they were giving a little more variety with their jokes. So the improvements are there...or at least the idea of those improvements. But I otherwise found those improvements to give me a film that's lacking almost as much as the first film. I mean I did try to see what was the big deal about it, but I just don't find it that funny or interesting. In some respects, I don't even think some of the side stories where structured that well. I mean how many scenes do the girls and Lucy have before the very end? Just one? And I feel like they were putting their faith in the minions a little too much when it came to the comedy. I mean a rendition of Y.M.C.A., really? And how so many of their other jokes in terms of slapstick and butt/fart jokes are as basic as you can get. I just can't get into it! Okay for all my criticizing, I will give the movie credit for the quick intro sequence of El Macho. That was pretty clever. But otherwise, I feel like I'm in the same boat I was in from the last film. Somewhere in there, this film can be more clever and funny then this. Granted, a lot of people seem to like this movie even more then the first, so maybe I'm missing something or expecting too little after the first movie. So I guess it's just something that isn't for me.

And that's my review for Despicable Me 2. It was doing some things better for what it's worth, but in the end, what I found was a movie that still faced the same problems of being predictable, unfunny and uninteresting almost just like the last film. You might like it better then I do considering how so many other people seem to enjoy it, but it's not my kind of film. If you want, take a look and see for yourself.

The Croods (2013)

Rating: 70%
So the Oscars are about a month away and for a while I wanted to take a look at the competition Frozen has for Best Animated Feature. Now as plenty of my friends and family might be aware, I of coarse will be infuriated with a desire for vengeance if for some demented reason Frozen "loses" to any other nominated film. But I am willing to be the bigger guy and see at least some of the other nominees. I might be able to see The Wind Rises before the Oscars when it comes to worldwide theaters on February 28th, and Ernest & Clestine...I just don't see winning in the slightest. But in the meantime, there's The Croods and Despicable Me 2 to take a look at and see if they actually have a chance against Frozen. I make no promises to believe any of them will, but for now, let's just take a look at these two, starting with The Croods.

Plot: The Croods are a caveman family who survive by hiding in a cave under the protection of the overprotective father, Grug. But when his daughter Eep disobeys and finds a boy named Guy, the family goes after her only to find their cave destroyed by an earthquake. Guy convinces them to head to a mountain where there is supposedly a paradise called Tomorrow that will save them from destruction.

Okay so when I saw a poster for this movie at AMC, I thought it was going to be stupid, and the fact that Emma Stone was in it, made me quiver with fear. You know, what with her being my favorite actress and all. The Audience: *groans* WE KNOW!!!! H.A.K.: All right! All right! Sheesh! Anyway, when I saw the reviews for it, I thought I'd see it at some point and just find it to be "eh". Now at last I've seen it and...surprisingly it was better then I thought it would be. The characters were fun (especially Grug and Eep), the animation was great, the creativity for the animals were great to look at, and the comedy for the most part had a lot of clever jokes. Some of the comedy even had to do with just the facial expressions some of the characters had to make. Grug especially has some really funny and well delivered faces that I just had to rewind and watch multiple times. The biggest problem I have with the film is that the story is pretty cliched. There was a number of stuff in the story that I more or less predicted would happen and it came out pretty distracting. But they at least delivered some of the beats during the very end fairly well that it didn't always turn out as distracting as I thought it would be.

And that's my review for The Croods. It's not too special in terms of the story, but it still has fun characters, good comedy, very good creativity with the creatures they gave us, and great animation to go with it all, making it not worthy of beating Frozen, but is still a nice film. If you haven't seen it, it's not a bad animated film to see.

12 Years A Slave (2013)

Rating:100%
As some of you know, I am very behind on how many best picture winner I usually see before the Oscars air, but luckily one nominee that I've been anticipating for a while is back in theaters for film buffs like me to see. So here at last is my review for 12 Years A Slave.

Plot: Solomon Northup was a free man living in New York with his wife and children until two men drug him and sell him into slavery. Dispite his pleas to get home with his family, he is sold to William Ford who starts out in good terms with Northup until a problem occurs with one of his men that forces him to sell him to another man named Edwin Epps. Epps is a much crueler man who whips his slaves bare believing it to be his right. All the while Northup's hope begins to diminish on whether or not he will be rescued.

The description for this movie that seems to be commonly said is that it is apologetically and/or unflinchingly brutal. And that pretty much fits the bill. 12 Years A Slave not only tells a story about slavery and racism that we haven't quite heard before, but gives us a more harshly detailed view to it that we haven't experienced in film before. In a way, you could say that Django Unchained was a prologue for this movie, in that how it goes a little into some details such has how slave owners viewed their slaves specifically as their property. But this film goes so much more realistic then Django Unchained ever really was. The beatings, whippings, the different kinds of slave owners, even rape. This film hardly backs down on how visually realistic everything that was happening back then was. But just like Captain Phillips, a lot of what this film bring could not be possible without the fantastic work from the cast. Whether it was Chiwetel Ejofor, Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassbender, Lupita Nyong'o, even Brad Pitt surprisingly yet briefly enough, or whoever, the entire cast gave us so many big moments that really brought what was happening to the film. What also helps I began to realize was the editing, and how it had some scenes where they would hold a shot for a very long time such as when a woman was just looking up at the sky for 2-15-20 ish seconds before singing for a funeral or just a good half a minute of Northup thinking and looking around. At first I thought those moments seemed off to what was happening in the movie until I started to remember what I learned in film school about editing and how - for some editors, emotion is often the most important thing to capture when editing. So when I thought more about it, the more I began to realize that the editing really does the film credit even when it may take some time just holding a single shot of an actor just displaying all the emotion that their characters feels. Will this film win Best Editing? Maybe not. But thinking more about it, I can clearly see what makes it work so well that it has at least been nominated.      

And that's my review for 12 Years A Slave. It's an exceptional film that goes deeper then before on racism and slavery back in the 19th century with an excellent cast and editing that is more brutal but realistic view then what we've seen in most films like it. Will it win Best Picture? It's not quite for me to say since this is the third nomination I've seen, but if anything, it looks like one of the stronger nominees that has the potential to win as far as I can tell.

The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)

Rating: 70%
So about a week and a half ago, my friend Candra and I wanted to start looking at all of the anime film of Hayao Miyazaki under the circumstances of him retiring from film (as sad as it is for us to hear, especially Candra). So we decided to watch the film that neither of us have seen, but was the film that was Miyazaki's debut as a director, The Castle of Cagliostro.

Plot: Lupin III is a thief who steals with his cohort Daisuke Jigen. They come across a young woman named Clarisse who is running away from a gang of thugs. They follow her all the way to the Castle of Cagliostro, where The Count of Cagliostro is attempting to marry Clarisse in order to use the rings of both their families to discover the secret treasure. So Lupin makes plans to try to rescue Clarisse before the wedding while also trying to avoid Inspector Zenigata who keeps trying to arrest him.

So what did Candra and I think of the film that started so many films that Miyazaki has both written and directed? It's...nice. It's not terrible per say but...well...let's talk about what's good about it, because it is at the very least, entertaining. The characters are likeable even is some seem to be downplayed like Jigen and...whoever the samurai guy was. The story is enjoyable, though you might find it to be similar to Castle in the Sky, if you've seen that movie before. The comedy, though there isn't a whole lot of it, does at some points pretty amusing moment. And the action and adventure in the film comes out very fun and enjoyable. The are only two big problems Candra and I have with this film. One is that the first half or so of the movie is pretty slow. It takes quite a while before we really find out what's going on with The Count and Clarisee and while the film has some good moments of development before hand, it's only when we find out The Counts real plot and the story starts moving from there that it really gets interesting. The second problem that is probably the biggest one for the both of us is that it doesn't completely feel like it's Miyazaki. Don't get us wrong, it has some aspects to his other work that seem familiar such as some of the animation, back stories that aren't explained (though part of that in this case has to do with this film actually being the second film for the manga series Lupin III), and it also has some other familiar Miyazaki beats such as enemies becoming friends, a cute romance between some of the main characters and so on. But it lacked a lot of the fantasy elements that you'd usually expect and...had an awful lot of language. I know I usually don't talk about language in general when I'm talking about movies, but when you put into context how this is the directorial debut of the man who has gives us such great family friendly films like My Neighbor Tortoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo, and his first film has mild language to the point where I'm pretty sure I even heard the F word hidden in there at one point. Eventually, we both found ourselves hoping the language came from the guy that co-wrote the script with Miyazaki, instead of the man himself. I guess both of these problems wouldn't have been a big deal for either of us if we've seen this before we watched any of Miyazaki's other films, but since we have...it kinda messes with the experience in watching this film.

And that's my review for The Castle of Cagliostro, if you're a fan of Miyazaki's other work, you're probably not going to be a big fan of what makes this film so different from all of his other films. But when you put that aside, you still get a film that has fun comedy and action adventure with a nice story and some likable characters. It's hardly among Miyazaki's best work, but it's still plenty entertaining. If you're ever interested, give it a try.  

Elysium (2013)

Rating: 65%
Shortly after he showed me Captain Phillips, Blaine gave me a couple of movies to choose from for what to watch next, so I decided to watch the movie that my brother Johnathan had probably one of his most anticipated films from this past year, Elysium.

Plot: In 2154, the wealthiest people in the world live in a luxurious space station called Elysium while the poor people live in an overpopulated and ruined Earth. Max is a former car thief who works in the assembly line for the military company for Elysium. But then one day he gets hit by radiation while working and has only 5 days left to live. The only thing that can save his life are these Med Bay decides in Elysium that can cure any disease or injury, so he joins a group that wants to infiltrate Elyisum and tries to find a way to get there and heal himself.

Right after seeing this film all I could really think of it was that it was just...eh...it was...nice. And now...it's a little bit better then I thought it was at first. The story was a little smarter then what I expected, it avoided a couple of cliches, particulalry one that I thought was going to happen that had to do with Max and Matilda. The acting was alright, but impressive on Sharlto Copley's part for playing a very different character then what we've seen him as before when he was Wikus in District 9. And similar to District 9 (since this is directed by the guy who directed that movie, Niell Blomkamp), it was a little more focused on the story then it was on the action, which I found to be an issue at first, but later thought it did this film some credit for not being to heavy on the action, through not as well as District 9 did. I think my biggest problem with this movie was that as far as creativity goes, I expected a little more. Not that any of the designs for all of the futuristic stuff where horrible, it's just hardly anything that was all futuristic, whether the ships or robots or whatever, really stood out in a way that left me thinking "oh that's cool to see." Even Max's suit with it's interesting, realistic look too it didn't have a lot of aspects to it that was interesting. I guess this is another example of how the director wanted it to be more about the story rather then the action and the creativity of the films own world, but still, I feel they could've done more.  

And that's my review for Elysium. If you're looking for a film that's heavy on the action and has some decent creativity to the in it, you're probably not going to be satisfied. But Elysium still has some nice acting, does a good job focusing more on the characters and is a little smarter then I expected with it's story. It's not as clever as District 9, but it still comes out fairly satisfying. Take it for what it's worth and see for yourself.   

Captain Phillips (2013)

Rating: 95%
Well as you may have noticed, I haven't seen as many best picture nominee's as I usually do. In fact up till now, the only one that I have seen is Gravity. But the other day I went to my friend Blane's house and he really wanted to show me Captain Phillips, and here's how that movie turned out.

Plot: Richard Phillips is the captain of a cargo ship who is sailing through the Gulf of Aden when a small group of pirates begin to board the ship and take him hostage. The leader of the pirates, Abduwali Muse takes command of the ship and starts trying to find the remainder of the crew. And that's all that you need to know if you've never seen this movie.

I knew that watching this movie, it was going to be intense, and it did not disappoint. It is a very intense movie, and they play if off extremely well. Part of it does come from doing a great job with the editing and telling the story from the points of view of both Captain Phillip and his crew, and the pirates themselves. But what stands out the most is how strong the acting is. Some debate that this might be the best performance that Tom Hanks has ever done. And while that might be a little bit of a stretch, there's no denying that a lot of aspects in his performance - particularly at the very end, show us a deeper and all around new side to his acting we probably have never seen before. Then you have the pirates who have all made their debut as actors through this film and they hit it off great. Barkhad Abdi plays as Abduwali Muse and I can definitely see why he got the supporting actors nomination for the oscars. Whether or not he wins, we'll just have to see, but there's little denying that for an acting career, he's off to a strong start. If I had one issue with the film, it would be that the second half of the movie did seem to drag. But it didn't drag so much that it ruined the film, because by then it already did so much, that it made almost the entire movie feel like what is happening is not just a story, but also an experience. Almost the entire time, I kept imagining myself in Captain Phillip's shoes, or even his crew sometimes. it just felt so intense that it left you thinking what would you be doing in any of these situations.

And that's my review for Captain Phillips. It may drag a little halfway through, but it's easily overlooked with terrific acting, great story telling, and so many intense scenes that make you wonder what you would do if you're really there. If you haven't seen it yet, I say it's definitely worth taking a look.  

The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Rating: 40%
Alright I know it's late in the day, but I watched this movie again so let's finish going through The Matrix Trilogy with The Matrix Revolutions.

Plot: Shortly after the events of the last film, Morpheus and Trinity find that Neo's mind is somehow caught in a transition zone between Machine City and The Matrix. So they quickly rescue him but along the way discover that Agent Smith is becoming more powerful and is planning to destroy both The Matrix and the real world. Neo then decides to take a ship with Trinity to Machine City in attempt to stop him and end the war, while everyone else gets ready to fight the machines in Zion for their last stand.

So what did I think of the final film of The Matrix Trilogy? Kind of a mixed bag for me. I mean on one hand I like that we have a conclusion and everything like that...but what it took to get it and some things that happen along the way is where I had trouble with it. Explaining that is going to be hard without saying any direct spoilers over what happens during the last half our or so of the film, but I'll do my best. But first let's talk about what is good about the film. The effects are still very good and the fight scenes are still enjoyable to watch. I am however aware that people really hate the idea that there are turrets and these big mechanical armor things that the soldiers use to fight the machines in the battle at Zion. Because here we have all this weaponry and yet in the first film, Trinity says that EMPs are the only weapon they have against the machines. And...yeah that is a problem. I mean you could make the argument that technically Trinity did not directly say that it's the only defense all of humanity in the real world has and instead was talking about just the Nebuchadnezzar only having an EMP for it's defense. But even if that's the case, giving us an explanation like that instead of just giving us all this stuff would've been nice. But back to what's good about the movie, the final battle between Neo and Agent Smith was epic to watch, but I think what really helped with that was the music behind it. The entire track "Neodämmerung" really brought in the emotion in what was happening and I really enjoy listening to it while watching the final battle along with the end credits track "Navras" which is technically a full version of the song (or at least I use to think so when I use to listen to the soundtrack a lot.) Now to what's bad about it. Well for me honestly, it's just the last 30-40 minutes of the film. Not to say everything before that was gold, but it's what happens once Neo and Trinity make it to Machine City and then Neo and Smith have their final battle and the conclusion of the film/trilogy altogether that kind of splits me in the middle. On one hand, it still gives something of a satisfactory ending, but one the other hand, it's sad in a dumb way, and is above all confusing. In fact, there's a lot of things that didn't really make any sense. I did mention in my review for Reloaded that some subplots do pay off, and that is true. But even those pay offs didn't quite fit. Some of them seem to make sense the more times I watch this film, but ultimately for a film that also gives a lot of exposition dialogue, their explanation f or things like Neo's plan against Smith was, turned out to be really lacking. On top of that, the very last scene with The Oracle and The Architect kind of made the result of the battle kind of bittersweet. Now for those of you who haven't seen the movie yet, keep in mind that your take on the ending could be completely different from mine.

And that's my review for The Matrix Revolutions. It does still have good effects and action and even a good soundtrack for the final battle that I personally find memorable. But it was also contained a big climax that ultimately left the entire conclusion to be very bittersweet for me personally, if not for most everyone who has seen it. It's not the worst sequel ever seen in my opinion, but it could have done a lot better as a finale. So there's my take on The Matrix Trilogy at long last. Thank you for reading and I hope to see you in the next review.