Mel's Movie Catch-Up
White House -- We thought it was a great summer popcorn movie!! There were shout-outs to Independence Day. I really loved Channing Tatum because he was his normal charming self, but we saw more of a underdog badass quality to him this time. Jamie Fox was really good as the U.S. President, and I was happy to see Richard Jenkins (who played Channing's father in Dear John) had a pivotal role in the film. I won't give too much away, but their are some definite twists in the movie. I thought the action was top notched, and the White House sets were terrific. Overally, I really enjoyed the movie and it was truly a summer blockbuster movie *nods*.
Despicable Me 2 -- It was terrific!! However, in all honesty it is the Minions that pretty much make the film. It did have great animation and music. It was great to go visit these great animated characters for an hour and half. The minions were so freakin' funny lol. My sisters and I couldn't stop laughing at what the minions were doing. They even sang the old Boys II Men song "I Swear".
Monsters University - I thought this prequel-sequel was terrific!! Perhaps because I can relate to it on so many levels. Monsters, Inc. really focused on Sulley's, but this movie is Mike's and how he becomes friends with Sulley. I didn't really feel for Mike until I saw this movie. You can see why he is the way he is in the original movie. You get to see Mike as a cute little monster to an adult monster working at Monsters, Inc.. The theme of the movie is accepting who you are, reach for your dreams, and the determination of working hard in getting there. I really could relate to Mike in this film because my life pretty much is a life story of determination . I'm still trying to fulfill my ultimate professional goal, but I'm not going to give up that easily. What Mike and Sully do at the end of the movie felt like it was talking to me *shrugs*.
A character does a massive mistake in the film (not saying due to spoilers), but I was so impressed with the aftermath. They didn't sugarcoat it nor remedied it with a quick wave of a wand. Rather they had the characters deal with the consequences. It was terrific! I saw that many people say Dean Abigail Hardscrabble (beautiful animations btw!) was the villain of the story and that she was mean. Well, I didn't think the Dean was mean. I think she was tough and direct (reminds me of a professor I had lol), but she was logical and caring in her own way. What she tells Sulley and Mike at the end shows she wasn't a villain. In fact, there really was no antagonist in the film. You have your stereotypical jerk frat boys, but there isn't one that truly stands out enough to be the villain of this story. I thought the villain was the insecurities of Mike, Sully, and their frat house Oozma Kappa. Sometimes our own fears are bigger than the jerks we meet day to day.
You do get to see how Randall becomes who he is in Monsters, Inc. in the film from how he does his eyes to his hatred for Mike and Sulley. There is a moment this happens, and my sister and I looked at each other and said "that's how it happened" lol. The Scare Games were a terrific addition to the film. It did remind me a bit of An Extremely Goofy Movie, but both movies are based in a college setting. The Scare Games were outstanding!! I really loved how they did the game with the librarian. It was fantastic!!
Speaking of Mike and Sulley's frat house those monsters were terrific! Squishy, Art (who reminded me of a Jim Henson muppet), and Don. Each frat member is important for the journey of Mike and Sulley, but those three were the most special to me. Squishy because he is just too adoreable and cute. Art because he is so darn funny lol. I was literally laughing out loud with him. Don was just so charming, logical, and sweet with his sticky legs.
They really tie everything neatly to the original film. I thoroughly enjoyed the film from beginning to end. After this summer I want a Minion, Squishy, and Art stuff animal for Christmas
My favorite Pixar/Disney films are: The Toy Story Trilogy, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, WALL-E, and Monsters University.
I did enjoy Up and Brave, but I don't put those two in my favorite category for various reasons.
Thus far this year I rank the 2013 animated movies:
1. The Croods - Creative, innovative, and I love family movies
2. Monsters University - creative, innovative, and great lessons
3. Despicable Me 2 - It's higher than Epic because of funny minions lol.
4. Epic - It's a beautiful movie, but I think the villain was quite lacking and hurt the stories a bit.
Monte Carlo - It's a decent romance-comedy flick about young women discovering themselves in a two week trip in Paris. Katie Cassidy and Leighton Meester truly outshine Selena Gomez in this film. Katie and Leighton actually thrive above the predictable script. The location shooting was so beautiful. I wouldn't buy it on dvd, but it's watchable at least once.
Pitch Perfect - This movie is pretty much the PG-13 version of Glee. I actually can't stand Glee because of the horrible acting and destroying some of my favorite songs. Pitch Perfect is a subpar medicore movie. I stopped watching halfway through because it was such a drag. It had a few shiny moments like Britney Snow, the improv singing with the various groups, and Rebel Wilson. However, that wasn't enough to keep me tuned in *shrugs*. I don't recommend this movie at all.
Looper - This is another movie I couldn't finish because of the pacing and bits of predictability. Don't get me wrong in this day and age predictability is everywhere. There are times where it doesn't bug me, but then there are times where it does. I think this time it really bugged me because I heard such great things about Looper and I love time travel stories. The movie actually starts of very cool and intriguing. It is set in the future, but you truthfully wouldn't know it by appearances . Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis do an excellent job in their roles, but for some reason even these two great actors couldn't keep me in tuned in. The pacing just fell flat after Old Joe and Young Joe met up in the old school diner. I just got bored, and went into watching a GAC Origin show on Eric Church. I did look up the ending, and it wasn't too shocking considering how much they build the villain. Looper's overall premise was interesting, the acting by Bruce and Joseph was terrific, but the pacing and editing really was the sinker for me in this one. However, it may not be my cup a tea, but it could someone else's.
The Blue Umbrella - This is a short Pixar animated film in front of the Monster University, and I can see it winning an Oscar like Disney's Paperman (I still would love to see a whole movie on this animated technique). The Blue Umbrella is another short that shows a new animation techniques in photorealistic lighting, shading, and composition. The Blue Umbrella reminded me a bit of the animated movie The Brave Little Toaster because everything was coming to life unknown to the human beings around them. It's about a blue umbrella who is trying to talk and meet with a cute red umbrella. It really is a simple story, but the animation was so interesting to see.