2015 April Movie #1: Fast and Furious 7

This movie leaves off where the last one ended. When the team eliminates bad guy Owen Shaw (played by Luke Evans), his big brother (played by Statham) seeks revenge.

I was painfully aware throughout the movie that this was Paul Walker's last movie, that he died during the time they were filming. I was also aware that the movie hadn't been finished, that they had to rewrite parts, and that his brothers were stand-ins for him. I did NOT want to know any other details about the movie, how they pieced it all together. Every time there was a fight scene or chase scene or explosion, I kept wondering if this was the moment where they would kill off his character. Waiting for death is incredibly morbid and sad. As a result, there was a sad tone to the entire movie. The ending was very well done. I did shed a few tears. Simple. Kind. Gentle.

Aside from that, this movie rocked. Amazing car chase scenes, amazing action, great battles. There was a great fight scene between Statham and Johnson and another lovely one between Statham and Diesel. The same tone - the fun, playful style where everyone gets along and truly are family - continues through this movie. Some of the stunts weren't quite believable but they did look cool (and since this isn't a movie where ya think too much, it's fine that not everything was 100% accurate).  I did read that they actually did drop cars out of a plane and that did help me to like that scene more.

I did feel Rhonda Rousey's scene was gratuitous and that she wasn't well used. I fear for her that she will go the Grace Jones route and be reduced to a girl who punches people and nothing more simply to fade away in a few years if she doesn't take roles that expand who she is.

As I mentioned, this movie rocked. I liked it. It gave the audience exactly what they wanted - action, fun, and closure.

2015 March Movie #4: Home

Home is about a league of aliens who must evacuate their planet and move to another planet because their arch enemy has found where they were hiding. They flee to Earth.  O (voiced by Jim Parsons) is one of the aliens that lands on Earth. He is not like the other aliens. While his people round up humans and move them to human colonies, O wants nothing more than to make friends. When he makes a very big mistake that could put his fellow aliens in jeopardy of being found by their enemies, the other aliens hunt him so that they can eliminate him. He teams up with a human girl named Tip (voiced by Rhianna) who is trying to find her mother. 

This movie was cute... but not as cute as it could have been. It was lacking something. I was not drawn to either main character - O or Tip. And when most of the songs in the movie were sung by Rhianna, it seemed more like a vehicle to lure a younger audience to Rhianna's music. 

March Movie #3: Grand Budapest Hotel

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan
Directed By: Wes Anderson
Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

The Grand Budapest Hotel is about the heyday of the hotel and its concierge M. Gustave (played by Fiennes) and lobby boy Zero (played by Revolori).

This is a story teller's movie. It relies on whimsy and good writing in order to get the story told (versus violence, sight gags, or explosions). The style is reminiscent of movies from the 40s, filled with fast dialog. Each word is chosen for a reason - it all has meaning.

There is a lot of whimsy in this movie. A lot. Blink and you'll miss it. Crunch too hard on your popcorn and you won't hear it. One of the things I didn't notice at first but it's hard to miss as the movie goes on: All the signs in the hotel. There is an abundance. A plethora. A ton. The amount is just funny. Everything gets a sign. Everything.

This movie feels like a play. Perhaps because it is very wordy but the general vibe is theatrical. It would translate very well to the stage. (And if this is actually a play, no one laugh at me... too long).

This movie is definitely a throw-back to a different era. It has a very nostalgic feel to it.

I liked it. It wasn't as funny as I had read it was going to be. But nonetheless, I appreciated how different it was. It's well told, well acted, and is, in general, fun.

If I have a criticism of the movie, it's that I did not understand how and why the hotel was rennovated in the 60s (they never allude to that; there's obviously a noticeable difference between even the outside of the hotel in 1929 vs 1969). Yes, it adds to a bit of the comedy as it now is so drab and lackluster, however, I'm not sure any hotelier would, in his right mind, actually modernize something that screams classic. Bleh.

All in all, this is a really good movie. It's fast paced. There's a lot of intrigue and mystery, a true old fashioned caper. It's funny. It's cute.

March Movie #2: The LEGO Movie

Starring the voices of: Chris Platt, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman
Directed By: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller
Run Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

In this world, everything is made from Legos. The people who inhabit the town are Lego characters. Every day is the same - build. Emmit (voiced by Platt) is an ordinary guy who lives to follow the rules. When he deviates from the norm after being awe-struck/smitten by Wildstyle (voiced by Banks), he stumbles into a role that he is not designed for. He uncovers the Piece of Resistance. He's then mistaken as the Chosen One, a MasterBuilder, and his life suddenly becomes out of the ordinary.

The LEGO Movie has been out for weeks, if not months, and I just finally saw it. I heard it was hilarious. I do not agree.

It's not a bad movie. There are many fine points to it. Hilarity is not one of them. Cute. Interesting plot. But
not knee-slapping funny. I giggled a few times but I did not laugh my ass off. Perhaps it was over-hyped for me.

Perhaps it just is an okay movie with a great concept. I think some of the Lego action figures could have been used better. The writers didn't quite capture what their personalities would be like. They were under used. I did like Superman's "I super hate you" line (although perhaps not in character with the "real" Superman but appropriate for the limited character they created).

It started off great. I really enjoyed the "Everything is awesome" mentality. It fit quite well with the LEGO
characters that all look the same. But once we hit Cloud Cuckooland, I was not impressed. I get that Cloud
Cuckooland is another LEGO set so they were simply incorporating that builder set into the movie, but it seemed to lack imagination. It was very stilted.

And yes, I figured out what the Piece of Resistance was very quickly.

I liked the live-action portion towards the end... but then I didn't. Again, it started off with great promise but fell flat quite quickly.

Although this movie has a 3D version, I don't think it's necessary to see it in 3D. I saw it in 2D and don't think I missed anything special.

Things I loved: Everything's awesome (the song)! I loved that they played it over and over again. It made me
smile. I even downloaded two versions of the song and play them back to back. Hee hee hee. I loved Liam Neeson's high pitched Good Cop voice. It really seemed like he was playing with a kid and that's the voice he'd use then. It was funny. I liked the ending with the baby Lego pieces.

This movie is cute, I'll give it that. The concept is hilarious, however, the execution is not as great. It's not
a bad movie. It's just not a fabulous movie. I was expecting more. I won't buy it when it comes out on DVD, and that probably says the most about it.

March Movie #1: Non-Stop

Starring: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore

Directed By: Jaume Collet-Serra

Run Time: 1 hour 47 minutes

Bill Marks (played by Neeson) is a US Air marshal on board a flight to London when he receives a text from an anonymous stranger threatening to kill a passenger every 20 minutes unless 150 million dollars is wired to a designated account. Agent Marks then has to protect the passengers while trying to figure out who the terrorist is. To make things tougher, TSA suspects that Marks himself is the terrorist.

There were several things about this movie that didn't seem quite right. First, the flight crew knew each other really well. Added to that, they all knew Marks well, too. How many times have you been on a flight only to hear the attendants introducing themselves to each other? There are thousands of flight attendants. They don't all know each other. And they certainly don't know the air marshals that well. Second, 150 passengers made for quite a small plane. And all of Coach was contained in one cabin. Small. Third, I'm not sure passengers would get that riled up that fast over a little search (I would think people would try to be more helpful). Fourth, the turbulence seemed to happen at very opportune times, like someone was controlling it. And I'm pretty sure anyone who got slammed up to the ceiling due to that turbulence wouldn't be walking around so well afterwards. Next, I was flabbergasted how many people tried to take down one person without success and in the end, one tiny guy took out the same big person. Finally, don't get me started on the ending.

On one hand, I liked that Marks was flawed... but on the other hand, it greatly disturbed me. I understand that he was grieving and an alcoholic, but the fact that he drank in his car before the flight and also ordered a drink during the flight seemed like they were really trying to nail home a point (and I'm pretty sure even an alcoholic air marshal wouldn't be dumb enough to order a drink on a flight where the flight attendants know he's an air marshal).

Perhaps it's the military child in me, but I had such issues whenever the passengers had issues with what the air marshal was asking them to do. Perhaps it's just me, but if there a reason to suspect someone on the plane of doing something bad and I know that bad person isn't me, what's the harm of indulging the air marshal, particularly if that indulgence helps him catch the bad guy. And you know a free bad guy on an airplane won't end well for the passengers, which is yet another reason to comply with the air marshal.

This movie is definitely suspenseful. There's a great deal of mystery. It's well acted. But it's also a bit ridiculous. I liked it and yet I didn't. It's definitely not one I'd own and probably not one that I'll see again. It did hold my attention. 

January Movie #1: Saving Mr. Banks

Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti
Directed By: John Lee Hancock
Run Time: 2 hours 5 minutes

Saving Mr. Banks is about the lengths Disney went to acquire the rights to Mary Poppins. The writer Mrs. Travers (played by Thompson) negotiated full script approval, something Walt Disney (played by Hanks) had never given before. He spent 20 years trying to woo Mrs. Travers to get her to sign over the rights so that he could keep a promise he made to his daughters who loved the books and asked their father to make a movie out of them.

It was more than 20 days into the first month of the new year when I finally saw my first movie. It may just be that kind of year.

First of all, let me just say that I don't think they hype about Tom Hanks not being nominated for his performance in this movie is warranted. Hanks is a fabulous actor, however, his Disney was nothing noteworthy. It was decent, as you would come to expect from him, but not award fetching.

The thing that struck me most was, had this not been a real person, I would not have bought the Mrs. Travers character. She wouldn't have struck me as real. The movie alternates between present time (for the movie) and back to the childhood of, presumably, Mrs. Travers. As a child, she was amazingly creative - and was strongly and emphatically encouraged to be creative by her father, whom she adored. Present time, she was unbelievably proper, rigidly proper. While it is possible that people change due to aging and circumstances, one who is rigid and proper doesn't seem to be the type to create books of such imagination as Mary Poppins. The Mrs. Travers who challenged Mr. Disney did not seem to me to be capable of being a whimsical writer. If this hadn't been a real person and was a fictional character, I never would have bought that polar opposite personality. And lest you think they took liberties and exaggerated her sternness for the movie, sit for the credits. You will then hear the real tape recordings of her word by word script editing. She truly was THAT proper.

I laughed a lot at this movie, just because Mrs. Travers was unrelenting. She didn't mean to be mean; she was just driven to be proper. And she was determined to always be right.

The best part of the movie, the part that really proves that Mrs. Travers wasn't cold and heartless despite her need to correct everyone, is when she gives her driver the names of several handicapped people and what she says to him to give him hope about his own daughter. I found that moment incredibly touching.

I liked this movie. Well acted. Well done. And now I need to re-see Mary Poppins. 

November Movie #2: About Time

Starring:  Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy

Run Time: 2 hours 3 minutes

Directed By: Richard Curtis

About Time is about a man named Tim (played by Gleeson) who can travel in time within his own lifetime. He quickly learns what happens when he messes with past events. It takes him more time to learn how to use time travel to his advantage (or, rather, to improve upon his life). 

This "chick flick" had an interesting storytelling twist - it's told from the guy's point of view. It's a chick flick about a young man's journey through life. There's a wonderful, yet subtle, father-son relationship that was quite refreshing to see.

I walked out of this movie feeling calm and happy. This movie is easy going (save one VERY emotional scene... that I knew from the previews would happen and yet it still really hit me hard). I liked the happiness.I liked how everyone got along.I liked how nice it was. It's rare that a movie features happiness and a caring family bond and I found that really refreshing for this movie. I don't really have anything bad to day about it. It had its funny moments, its very sad moments, its happy moments. The overlying story element was interesting - men in that family when they hit 21 can travel within their own time. It was interesting to see how they handled that "super power." The men (father played by Nighy) and son (played by Gleeson) really had to have good hearts (and souls) to be able to use it as well as they did. They didn't use it to pick lotto numbers. They didn't do it to get revenge. They simply used it to be better people. Wow.

One thing that hit me - this is the second movie for Rachel McAdams with time traveling, time traveling husbands, to be precise (the other being The Time Traveler's Wife). She seriously has to be suspicious of her movie husbands... 

November Movie #1: Free Birds (in 3D)

Starring the voices of: Owen Wilson, Woody Harrelson, Amy Poehler, George Takei
Run Time: 1 hours 31 minutes
Directed By: Jimmy Hayward

Free Birds is about turkeys who go back in time to get turkey off the Thanksgiving menu.

If you don't think too much about the plot of this movie, it's actually kind of cute. It's a buddy pic with cute little turkeys. The characters are a bit interesting. There's a sense of urgency and danger. It's a good action flick.

But once you start thinking about the holes, it gets to you and you start grumbling. First, turkeys weren't really part of the first Thanksgiving (well, there's no evidence they ate turkey; it was most likely duck or goose). Second, the travel loop was very Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. While it worked for Bill and Ted, it certainly doesn't work for this movie. Third, and this is a small point but it bothered me the moment it was said, Jenny was not a popular 1621 name. To name the lead female turkey Jenny, really said "We can't be bothered to name her a historically accurate name. Hey, my daughter's name is Jenny so why don't we just name the girl turkey Jenny? It will make my kid happy." Fourth, the doorknob did nothing. Fifth, the Great Turkey was too much like the Great Pumpkin and again, seemed like they were piggybacking on another movie's workable plot point. Six, how does a turkey order pizza?

And seven... Even as a vegetarian, I had an issue with the "save the turkey" aspect. I have no problem with children being a vegetarian, as long as they came to the conclusion on their own, and didn't get it straight from a movie. I wonder how many children will refuse to eat turkey this Thanksgiving because they don't want to eat Jake or Reggie or Jenny.

This movie is predictable. It has some cute moments (queue anything S.T.E.V.E says) but it is more predictable and unrealistic than anything. I liked it but it bothered me too much to love it. There's also a pretty scary flashback scene that involves Jake trying to escape from a turkey farm. Sometimes cartoons aren't really for kids. And yet this simple plot is definitely geared towards kids.

I liked it but didn't love it. Some of it was well done but some just seemed slapped together (or thought up by someone with little imagination). I will not be buying this movie when it comes out on DVD (and I think that pretty much sums up how I feel about it).

October Movie #3: Escape Plan

Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Caviezel, Amy Ryan, Vincent D'Onofrio, 50 Cent
Run Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Directed By: Mikael Håfström

Escape Plan is about a contractor named Ray Breslin (played by Stallone) who is hired by third parties to verify that a prison is secure. In order to do this, Ray must be an actual prisoner and break out of the prison like a normal prisoner would do. On his next assignment, Ray quickly discovers that he's been set up. He's an actual prisoner. Now he must figure out who set him up, why, and break out of the most secure prison he's ever been in.

I know Stallone and Schwarzenegger have reputations for not being able to act but I have never listened to that. This movie should sway any acting talent critic. They do a wonderful job. I was particularly impressed with the five minute scene where Schwarzenegger speaks German frantically, psychotically. It was actually amazing. (Although I did have to wonder if he does speak German currently or if he lost it over time from lack of use and thus had to re-learn it for this scene.)

I rather enjoyed this movie. I thought the acting was indeed pretty good. The overall premise of the movie was quite interesting. There were a few holes in the plot (mainly the reason behind Ray's incarceration) but I was willing to let those slip because I found the rest of it enjoyable. There were some twists that were fun, even one that I didn't see coming until the end. I found myself wondering how Ray would escape from an inescapable jail, wondering why he was there, and how all the other characters wrapped into the plot. I also absolutely loved Jim Caviezel's warden character. Evil without being over the top. I actually even rooted for the warden in a couple of scenes because he was so phenomenally diabolical and it was fun to watch that.

All in all, a good movie. It moved well. It had an attention captivating plot. I liked the characters. (And I was glad that the Muslim character wasn't in jail for terrorism - and that they allowed him to have a heart) If you like action movies, this is a great one.

October Movie #2: Gravity (in 3D)

Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Runt Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Directed By: Alfonso Cuarón

Gravity is about how two astronauts cope with getting back to earth after an accident leaves their space shuttle unusable. 

First of all, this is absolutely a beautiful movie. There were moments where I thought to myself, "Wow! To be able to see that (the Earth) in person must be amazing!" I think what magnifies that beauty is fear - the fear of space, of being a grain of sand floating in the universe, the realization of just how tiny man is in comparison. And frail. 

I heard several people complain about this movie, that they couldn't see the movie because there were too many technical inaccuracies. Unless you're an aeronautics expert, I highly doubt you'll notice the inaccuracies. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary. Of course, this is coming from someone who thinks a bus really can jump a 50 foot gap in the road... And if you do start to notice those things, just remind yourself: This is a movie. 

This movie is an hour and a half, a short one. Unfortunately, it didn't feel short. That's rarely a good thing. In this movie's case, I think it's because soooo many things happen to poor Stone (played by Bullock) that you just hope it's all going to end soon. But it doesn't. Just when you think there couldn't possibly be another bad thing happen, another one does. And then another one. It just doesn't end! 

This movie is very stressful. You really start to feel as though you're the one bouncing around a space shuttle that's being bombarded by space trash. There are several scenes that are emotionally draining. I did cry at one point during a tragic scene. So sad. And there was a lump in my throat during the scene where Stone thought all hope was lost. 

My one criticism of the movie: It seems as though they ripped a scene straight from WALL-E (and perhaps a more serious movie about space shouldn't take their cues from a cartoon). I'm talking about the fire extinguisher scene. Pretty sure that only propels robots through space. But, like I said, it is just a movie. 

That being said, this is a good movie. Not great. Don't need to see it again. But I loved the visuals. I loved the idea of the freedom and horror of space all combined into one feeling. It's a quiet movie, which gives you moments of tranquility. Enjoy those because you will be jostled about many, many times. Well acted. (Although Clooney was just being Clooney putzing through the air telling funny stories and being all charming, calm, and heroic all in one breath). Good story. Good visuals. An emotional roller coaster. You'll like it (as long as you don't work for NASA or think you do/should). 

October Movie #1: Don Jon

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlet Johansson, Tony Danza, Julianne Moore

Run Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Directed By: Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Don Jon is about a ladies man from New Jersey (a play on Don Juan but with a New Jersey accent) who, although can - and does -  land the ladies, prefers porn to the real thing. 

I went to this a few weeks after it opened. There were only a few people in the audience... and I was the only female. (Of course, I am often the only female in a lot of audiences because I do tend to enjoy action and sci-fi over the chick flick.) Perhaps the subject scared people off or perhaps it was a little too obscure (and not well marketed). Minutes into the movie, I realized people were probably scared off by the subject. I started to giggle as porn images flashed across the screen. Wow. Was not expecting that. Definitely not one for the kiddos. 

For the most part, this movie's images are fairly benign. It's not the frequency in which the porn appears but the duration. It seems the porn scenes lasted longer than what I was comfortable with. Don't get me wrong. It didn't really bother me... but it was a little much. 

As long as the story was flowing (and not some in your face images), it was a rather enjoyable movie. This is Joseph Gordon-Levitt's foray into full-length feature directing (he's directed some shorts before) and I thought he did rather well. He also wrote the screenplay. I am always amazed at how chameleon-like his acting his. He completely transforms himself into his characters. With each new movie, he is completely different. He had the walk, the talk, and the muscles of his self-absorbed character. He's come a long way from the kid on Third Rock from the Sun. 

I enjoyed the scenes more when Scarlet Johansson's gum-smacking, princess-y, controlling character (with a sledge hammer into over acting) wasn't on the screen. Just sayin'. 

The movie really gets interesting when Julianne Moore's character finally wanders onto the screen. Perhaps the clunkiest character introduction in the movie, but the one with an air of mystery. Who is she? What affect will she have on Jon's life? 

There are two gems within this movie. First, is the scene where Jon (played by Gordon-Levitt) cuts loose and sings Good Vibrations by Marky Mark (from the 90s). I was giggling hysterically. He's a macho, image conscious man singing a ridiculous song (in falsetto). Absolutely wonderful. And the second gem: Jon's sister. Jon's sister says absolutely nothing throughout the movie. She tunes out her family's dysfunction by throwing herself into her phone (typical youngster, right?). But she has an absolutely brilliant point of impact at the end. I, internally, cheered. It was a brilliant moment. Well done. 

Anyway, if you can stomach the flashes of porn every once in awhile, then you should watch this movie. It's well acted. It's different. It has heart. It has brilliant acting (Joseph Gordon-Levitt). I liked it. I didn't like the usher making a point of asking me, "So... how did you like the movie?" as I was exiting. Um, yeah. It has a script. It ain't porn. It's just about a guy and his porn. Grow up. 

 

 

September Movie #2: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (in 3D)

Starring the voices of: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Will Forte, Andy Samberg, Benjamin Bratt
Run time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Directed by: Cody Cameron, Kris Pearn

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 picks up where the first movie left off. Flint's (voiced by Hader) invention has been contained, the island is overrun with giant food. A clean-up agency sweeps in and orders everyone off the island. The clean-up agency is headed by tech guru Chester V (voiced by Forte), who Flint idolizes. Chester V offers Flint a job as an inventor.

I saw this movie with my old college roommate Dubby. She was worried that since she didn't see the original, she wouldn't be able to follow the story. I told her it's about giant food. 'Nuff said. She was relieved afterwards to find out that the movie did an excellent job catching her up to speed. You get a nice little summary of the first movie when the second one opens and then it quickly launches into the new story.

I really liked this movie. I even liked it better than the first one, if you can believe that. I actually do not own the first one. I thought that one was just okay. I will own the second one and it will probably become part of my "at home sick" rotation (which currently has Wreck-It Ralph and Hotel Transylvania and Horton Hears a Who and Chicken Little). This second installment was cute, had a great plot, had some mystery, a lot of action and suspense, and a lot of heart.

September Movie #1: Riddick

Starring: Vin Diesel, Katie Sackoff, Matt Nable
Runt Time: 1 hour 59 minutes
Directed By: David Twohy

Although it doesn't seem like it, it has been several years since the last installment. There are no characters, save a cameo by Vakko, from either the first or second movies other than the main character Riddick (but the title of the movie clued you in to that, right?). This one has a completely different tone and story... until close to the end, where it then develops a wonder flavor of the original. It's almost an homage.

The movie opens up with the familiar voiceover setting the scene. It then proceeds to be about 20-30 minutes of Riddick being mean to animals/animal-like creatures. I was not a fan. And I quickly figured out one plot point and again, I wasn't a fan.

Overall, I liked this movie. The original was obviously the best. I even liked the second one but this installment was definitely better than that second one. It had heart. It had great action. Some of the plot points were a little weak but overall the story was good and interesting. Some of the script was a little lacking. There were a lot of bad lines. The true fan boys in the audience laughed so the movie makers got what they were seeking. I rolled my eyes.

Some nit-picking: Katie Sackoff's character's name was Dahl. I kept thinking they were calling her "Doll." Perhaps that was intentional, to give an air of sexism even though there wasn't any. A group of guys, one woman. Of course there are going to be some sexist remarks. I did think she was mis-used as an actress. She had some kick-butt moments and a completely gratuitous nude scene that was akin to slasher flicks where some chick decides to take a shower even though there are a ton of bloody bodies popping up. Katie's boob shot was strictly for the sci-fi nerds but nothing else. That disappointed me. The sci-fi creatures were a little too unrealistic to me. The dog-like creatures just seemed to lack imagination. They were an exaggeration of real dogs with added color. And one of the twists had me scratching my head. I let it go but wasn't quite certain why they chose that route over a more realistic connection between two characters.

In sum, I really liked this movie. It really had a lot of heart, most of which you see at the end. The flavors of the original came through (and yet wasn't mimicking or copying). It's fairly well acted. Yes, it's a bit predictable but it was an enjoyable ride even though I knew where it was going.

August Movie #2: Planes

Starring the Voices of: Dane Cook, Teri Hatcher, Stacey Keech, Brad Garrett
Run Time: 1 hour 31 minutes
Directed By: Klay Hall

Planes is kind of like Cars, in that the vehicles have names, faces, thoughts, and act just like a person would. I think the next installments will be Boats, which is about a little tug boat who wants to be a cruise liner and see the world until he realizes that he performs a valuable service, and Trains, about a caboose who's tired of always being last. Just kidding.

Planes is about Dusty Crophopper (voiced by Cook) who is tired of flying in straight lines every day. Although he has flown thousands of miles, he's never left the state. His dream is to race, to compete with the jets. Chug (voiced by Garrett) is a refueling truck who eggs on Dusty's ambitions. Dottie (voiced by Hatcher) is a mechanic-type-car thingie who is the voice of reason, trying to gently deflate Dusty's wild dreams. Skipper (voiced by Keech) is an old military fighter that Dusty enlists to help him train to be a racing plane. They all come together in support when Dusty wins a spot in a race around the globe.

Eh. That's my summary: Eh. I wasn't a fan of Cars (I didn't hate it but I didn't love it) so I guess it stands to reason that I wouldn't be a fan of Planes. This movie was cute. It made me laugh. There were several bits (like Dusty having his sprayer removed) that they carried through to the end very well. They did a good job anthropomorphizing the vehicles. They moved like humans. They did very human-like things. All of the different planes from different countries was well done (although I was wondering if some of the designs/depictions of the planes wasn't a tad racist). The movie just didn't have that something extra that pushes into greatness. It was sweet. It did no harm. It was slightly funny. It was an enjoyable way to spend an hour and a half. And yet I didn't love it.

The story itself was sweet - dreaming of being something you're not and then putting it to reality. On one hand, the message that you can be anything you want to be (particularly if you have support from loved ones and good training) is a worthy message. However, in execution, it's a little starry-eyed, overly optimistic, and certainly naive. There is a difference between a crop duster and a jet. And that's okay. I wish the movie had made that point.

I spent a lot of the movie trying to figure out who was voicing Dusty. It had a lot of Owen Wilson (who is the voice of Lightning McQueen from Cars) overtones. I wonder if they cast with that in mind. I can almost hear the discussion around voice casting, "Hey, Owen's voice worked well as a car. Wouldn't it work well as a plane? Go get someone who sounds like him. But not him." I was also not a fan of Teri Hatcher's Dottie. Her voice quickly became grating.

So.... definitely one the kids will like. Not sure if even they will love it (unless they love planes). It held my attention. It's not one I'm going to buy (I don't own Cars either). It was cute. It had a good story. The message was a little naive but the undertones of the message were nice. A little predictable. Good movie. Not great. Good. Cute. Sweet.

August Movie #1: Red 2

Starring: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, and Byung Hun Lee
Run Time: 1 hour 56 minutes
Directed By: Dean Parisot

The sequel picks up a short time (perhaps a year) after the first one ended. Frank (played by Willis) and Sarah (played by Parker) are still together. While the retired CIA operative Frank is embracing his quiet, suburban lifestyle, Sarah is finding that it's too quiet. After details about a 1979 mission are leaked on-line, Marvin (played by Malkovich) suddenly dies and the CIA nabs Frank for questioning about the leak. It soon becomes clear that in order to bring closure to the leak, Frank, Sarah, and Marvin (who faked his own death) must come out of retirement. Frank is worried about putting Sarah in danger; Sarah is thrilled about the possibility of danger.

I liked this one a bit more than I liked the first one. From the previews, the first one looked hilarious but the actually movie fell quite short of unrestrained laughter. I didn't go into the sequel thinking that it would be side splitting (it wasn't) but rather to watch some quirky, sweet, fun characters again. Al of the characters were complex, quirky, good hearted, and fun. Helen Mirren's tough yet incredibly elegant assassin character is just fun to watch. She has great comedic timing and is absolutely kick-ass fierce. I loved Mary Louise Parker's quirky, sweet, simple, and yet tough character. Byung Hun Lee was absolutely wonderful as ruthless - and yet not so ruthless assassin Han (for those who recognize him yet can't place him, he's Storm Shadow from G.I. Joe). I loved, loved, loved the scene with Victoria (played by Mirren) and Han in the blue sports car. Helen Mirren's a cool, tough broad!

It did not seem as though this movie was almost two hours long. Fast paced. Lots of little twists. Good plot. Fun characters. A lot of good action. A lot of funny action. And no gore. There was an amazing amount of conscience in these agents.

To sum up this movie: fun, good-hearted, and just plain enjoyable.