Monsters, Inc. 2

The new Walt Disney chairman, Rick Ross, announced today that there is going to be a sequel to Monsters Inc. We can expect it to hit theatres in November 2012, just a few short months after Brave, Pixar's other offering that year. It would be exciting if Pete Docter is attached to the film. He is responsible for how emotionally powerful Monsters and Up are. There is no word on whether or not he will be involved in the movie. Newt was supposed to be coming out instead of Monsters 2, but their is no word on if that project has been delayed, or scratched altogether.

The studio was questioned last year when they announced a sequel to Cars. Although a great film, it isn't exactly known for being their best. I know a handful of people who really want an Incredibles sequel, and most of their other films deserve a sequel more than Cars. Maybe they are doing a follow up to coincide with a Cars land/attraction being built in Disney's California Adventure. I also know that the merchandise for the film sells really well, so it makes sense... it's just not what I want! Expect that to hit theaters as their 2011 offering.

I wonder why Pixar is reviving some of their older films with sequels. The studio is known for their really strong and original ideas, such as Wall E or Up. I know that the Toy Story sequel did really well, but I look forward to their original films every year. Yeah, I'm grateful for the Cars and Monsters sequels because I'll take anything Pixar gives me, but I'm not as excited as I would be if they were releasing original concepts instead.

Disney and Pixar have some strong films hitting theatres over the next couple of years. It should be really exciting! Look forward to Prince of Persia and Toy Story 3 this summer, and Sorcerer's Apprentice and Tangled (aka Rapunzel) later this year. Read more!

Kick Ass

It seems every year, a studio tries to release a movie in the pre-summer season (March-April) that builds a ton of hype online. Sometimes that hype is overbuilt and you get a trainwreck, like Watchmen from last year. Other times, you get a film that can deliver on that hype, like 300 from a few years ago. This year, we get Kick Ass, and I can tell you that I was pretty into it.

The story focuses on geeky, High School student Dave asking himself and his friends why nobody has ever become a superhero before. He takes matters into his own hands when he is a part of crime and notices that a witness does nothing to intervene. After a video of one of his first heroic acts as Kick Ass surfaces on the internet, he becomes an icon in the eye of the public. He is eventually drawn into a vendetta between Big Daddy and Hit Girl and the drug empire ran by Frank D'Amico, the father of Kick Ass's arch-nemesis, Red Mist.

The movie is pretty faithful to its source material. I have read in an interview that the film rights for Kick Ass were sold before the first issue of the comic had even been published. Matthew Vaughn (Stardust), the director and co-screenwriter for the film, mentioned that the comic and the script for the film were written at the same time, so their was a lot of collaboration between the author and the screenwriter.

The story combines some of the elements from the popular teen-comedy and Tarantino-esque gore genres. It was an excellent combination of genres that allowed me to have fun for the entire two-hour runtime of the film. Also, I really liked how the superhero element really emphasized the urge all teenagers have to be something more than they are. *SPOILER ALERT (for those who care)* It was especially funny watching Dave play the role of his love-interest's gay bff, just to get closer to her. He eventually reveals his intentions and they get together.

There has been a lot of negative attention for the film concerning its obscene language, especially from the Hit Girl character who was only 11 at the time of filming. I was surprisingly not offended at all. I am open enough to know that most of the bad language in the film was used as a shock-value tool, especially when Hit Girl uses the c-word. It's funny to me that America will clutch her pearls at the drop of a four-letter word, but will hardly wince at the drop of a limb or the spraying of blood.

Overall, Kick Ass is a pretty *PUN ALERT* kick ass movie. I probably won't be adding this to my DVD collection, but I did enjoy it. If you get the chance, go and check it out, but I wouldn't make it one of your top priorities. Read more!

Remakes

As many of you are aware, Hollywood has gotten into the habit of remaking pretty much every movie that has ever existed. It's gotten to the point where many people are questioning the integrity of the town. According to my girlfriend, there are 70 remakes in the work as we speak... I tend to look the other way because I haven't been exposed to many of the originals, though I have slowly been exposing myself to them... Maybe someday, I'll have a marathon of the AFI Top 100 movies I haven't seen yet. Anyway...

This week, we are going to be treated to a remake of Death At a Funeral. The original was created in the UK only three years ago! I saw it for the first time last year in an International Cinema class I took and I absolutely LOVED it. It was witty, well-acted, and fresh the entire length of the film, and in my opinion, it doesn't need a remake!

The film is basically about a dysfunctional family who attends a funeral for the patriarch. Murphy's law takes over and everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. A stranger shows up and tries to expose a dark secret that can ruin everything. This film is a dark comedy in every sense, but it had me laughing the whole way through.

The trailer for the remake has been out for awhile now and pretty much gives away the entire movie. Because I think so highly of the original film, I just get so angry when the remake is mentioned. I can understand the remakes of other films like the upcoming Friday the 13th, because the producers for those properties are trying to reboot those franchises. The Death At a Funeral remake just seems so pointless to me and I don't get it.

I'm just tired of having the low expectations for a movie based on the fact that it is a remake. Let's face it: the remakes rarely, if ever, exceed the quality of the originals. I actually enjoyed Titans because I didn't have anything to compare it too, and I went in expecting not that much from the things that I have heard. All I know is, I'm skipping Funeral and you should too. Save your 12 bucks and go to your local video store and rent the original instead. You'll be so much happier. Read more!

Pirates of the Caribbean 4

As we get closer and closer to next summer, more news is leaking about the new Pirates movie. If any of you know me, you know that some of my favorite movies belong to this franchise. So there is no surprise that I've been following this movie like a hawk from back when it was a rumor until now. Expect this movie to hit the Box Office on May 20, 2011.

So far, not much has leaked other than that this new installment will be loosely based on Tim Powers book, "On Stranger Tides". Basically, the story will involve the Fountain of Youth as the main plot (which was hinted at at the end of At World's End) and Blackbeard as the villain, and not much else is known as far as the story goes.

Ian McShane has been cast as Blackbeard. Unfortunately, I'm not well versed in his work, so I don't know how brilliant of a casting this is, but I trust their choice. They cast Penelope Cruz as Sparrow's foil, rival, love interest, equal, etc. I am so excited for this casting because I love Penelope Cruz and she is one of the only actresses I can think of that can keep up with the antics of Jack Sparrow.

I am a fanboy of Pirates, tried and true. I saw the last film six times in theatres. Granted, I saw it for free because I worked at the theatre at the time. I don't know how many times I'll see this one now that I have to pay. All I know is, I'm super stoked for "On Stranger Tides". Read more!

Date Night

I have been waiting a very long time for a movie that combines the talent of Tina Fey and Steve Carell, and I got exactly what I wanted. Date Night is what you would expect from a Carell/Fey combo: awkward conversation and great comedic timing, and nothing more, really. The story is your basic romantic comedy/action combo, and their isn't really much depth to it. This movie is pretty much a vehicle for Fey and Carell to drive their comedic efforts with, and it's light-hearted and funny all the way.

Date Night is a movie about a boring New Jersey couple realizing that they want more out of their marriage after seeing their couplefriend break up. In an attempt to be exciting and spontaneous, Phil (Carell) takes Claire (Fey) out into town to a popular restaurant where they take another couple's reservation. Mistaken identities ensue and Carell and Fey go to work after getting involved in a bribe plot.

This movie is infested with cameos from everybody and their mother: Mark Whalberg, Leighton Meester, Ray Liotta, Taraji P. Henson (!?), will.i.am (!?), James Franco, Mila Kunis, etc. It was exciting to see who would appear next. It was a smart move on the director's part to underplay all the cameos as the movie would have become more about them than it would about Fey and Carell.

I didn't really have any major problem with the movie, other than I wanted more of it. I just wish that the crime story was a little bit more involved and the movie was a little longer. I was, in a sense, a little disappointed and was expecting a lot more from what I saw in the trailer, but I still loved watching Fey and Carell work together, regardless of what I got. If you love either of these stars, then you will be sure to love this movie. However, it is a rom-com at its roots and predictably formulaic, so if you are looking for something a little bit more unpredictable, I would go with something else. But if all you want is Fey and Carell, and some light-hearted material, then go for it! I sure loved it. Read more!

Summer 2010=Blah?

my thoughts exactly, jonah and russel.

I was just thinking about some of the movies that will be coming out this summer. And to tell you the truth, I'm not really as excited for as many releases as I have in previous years. The two movies I am most looking forward to are Iron Man 2 and Toy Story 3. A few others that I'm a little bit interested in are Robin Hood, Prince of Persia, and Salt. As of right now, I'll see most of everything else out of obligation to see more movies this year than I ever have before, but I'm not really that crazy about them as if they were, say, Pirates 4 or the second installment of HP7 (THAT'S NEXT SUMMER... AHHHHH!)

What do you guys think about the movies coming out this summer... Anything you are looking forward to? (And if you say Eclipse... I have some words for you -_- lol) Read more!

How to Train Your Dragon

Dreamworks is the David to Pixar's Goliath. In recent years, Dreamworks has been producing high quality fare; Although not on par with Pixar's repertoire (I'm a Pixar fanboy), they at least hold their own. Dreamworks usually relies on gags and pure star-power to pull people into the theatre, so it's a breath of fresh air to see the studio step out of their comfort zone. Dreamworks manages to release a film that pulls at the heart strings by showing depth and growth, traits that many of their previous films lacked (*coughbeemovieandoverthehedgecough*).

'How to Train Your Dragon' is a story about a boy, Hiccup, who doesn't quite fit in with the rest of his village of dragon-slaying vikings. All he wants is to fit in and gain his father's approval. His life is forever changed when he meets a dragon, Toothless, that challenges everything he once knew. It sounds like any other underdog story, but it is still a very well-rounded movie. Movies like this, despite their cliches, manage to become timeless because of their universal themes. That is probably why they film's source material is so popular.

One of the only things I had a problem with was the voice-acting. Although well-done for the most part, I struggled to understand why all of the adults in the village had strong, Scottish accents and all of the children had plain, American accents. Maybe it was to show the vast separation between the generations, but all it managed to accomplish was distracting me. Another thing was the voice of the main character. Although I can see why they cast Jay Baruchel as the lead, his voice lacks any emotional range. Baruchel is usually cast as the wimpy underdog, and he matches his character's personality perfectly... It was just difficult to get in sync with the character's emotions unless he was interacting with the dragon.

One of the other problems I had with the movie was the design of most of the dragons. Some of them were beautiful (ie, Toothless) and others seemed amateurish in design. Many of them looked like they were designed by students in a beginner's 3D modeling class. It created a disconnect for me between the humans and the dragons because the art direction for the two of them seem so different. It didn't help that the design of the dragons prevented them from showing as much emotion as the star dragon could. I think that is what angered me the most.

Speaking of anthropomorphic design, my favorite part about the movie was Toothless. I was so glad that they didn't give any of the dragons a voice. One of Dreamworks' trademarks is giving voices to its animal stars. This forced the designers of Toothless to rely on the dragon's facial expressions and body language, creating, in my opinion, one of their most memorable characters to-date.

Overall, the movie is one of the studio's best releases. I would recommend it to just about anybody. The pacing of the movie was exceptional and it never failed to deliver an exciting moment, up until the credits rolled. Catch this flick whenever you get the chance. You won't be disappointed. :) Read more!