Movie review | Page 8 of 23

Zootopia is semi-deep end Disney, fun animation with a soft message

Zootopia is a fascinating movie because one hand it’s a well done animated film from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Sure, one expects their films to be well made, but what is surprising about Zootopia is how the plot can be looked at from entirely different perspectives, depending on your age. Recap: don’t trust anyone over 30. Every animal in the world has no predatory instincts. Those that used to kill and eat other animals no longer do. Every critter is domesticated and in Zootopia all of anthropomorphic species are living together in close quarters.

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Hatched, a movie that was better off in the shell

Families want, and sometimes need entertainment. It’s obviously best if said entertainment is OK for everyone in the family. It’s in that spirit that Hatched is available on DVD. Hatched is a film that will most likely rocket to the bottom of your DVD stack. Unless you’re 6 years old and this is the second movie you’ve see it’s most likely the worst animated film that you’ve seen.

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Kung Fu Panda 3, mo Po and flow for families to go

In a way the Kung Fu Panda franchise is the movie series that should not exist. Kung Fu Panda 3 comes out five years after the first sequel which was forgettable and felt perilously close to some of its peers in the direct-to-DVD crowd. I always found that strange because, as a character, Po, the panda who knows kung fu, is great. He has a diverse group of friends that work together; he exceeds expectations and is a character that children genuinely enjoy.

It’s with a sense of relief that Kung Fu Panda 3 finds its franchise footing. The film is certainly geared for the family audience, specifically the kids; but it has enough entertainment in the tank to lock down the adults who might tire of fart jokes or baby pandas eating dumplings. This is the fun, goofy, emotion-free animated movie that kids will laugh themselves silly and parents can watch without worrying that a Pixar-esque ‘lost toy’ character will make them cry.

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Norm of the North review-familiar to adults but kids will like it

On the surface there isn’t much going for Norm of the North. Its theatrical release date is the middle of January, the traditional dumping ground for sub-par family films. The film was originally supposed to go straight to video and the plot goes over grounds that are fodder for animated films. I was prepared to hate it. At the end I was both surprised at the fact that I didn’t hate it and that my wife liked it and the kids loved it.

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Star Wars: The Force Awakens spoiler free review

Read on, as with most Star Wars: The Force Awakens reviews, this one is spoiler free. This film is the largest Event film in decades. Sure teen vampires and middle Earth were event films, but they pale in comparison to the hype, hoopla and scope of anything involving this. Skeptical I was about the new films, especially after the most recent three. However, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is great. It’s the most enjoyable film in the cannon of Star Wars. For us, it tops A New Hope and goes Empire Strikes Back on the film that inspired the term when a sequel is better than the original.

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Christmas Trade is a psuedo-seasonal lump of coal

Imagine a Christmas version of Big, then take away any of the wit and charm, dumb down the dialogue a little more and you’ve got an idea of Christmas Trade. It stars William Baldwin as a recently widowed dad to a young teen boy, played by Michael Campion. Denise Richards is Chloe, Baldwin’s girlfriend who hasn’t been introduced to Campion yet.

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Movie time! Win a $100 gift card to Fandango #BPopEvents

We’re part of the Fandango Family and we were provided with this giveaway. With winter almost here and a certain story from far, far away about to start again, it’s time to get out to the movie theaters. There are a handful of films coming out over the next two months that I’m eager to see.

Certainly Star Wars, that’s low hanging fruit. But there’s also Kung Fu Panda 3, Deadpool, a special Doctor Who in theaters, Ride Along 2 (don’t judge me…) and Zoolander 2, just to name a few. You can use this gift card at Fandango for whatever you’d like-good luck!

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Check out all of the giveaways as part of #BPopEvents, there is something for anyone.

Spectre, a mixed result of the best (and worst) of James Bond

There is a James Bond movie curse. It loosely states that every other Bond film won’t be as good as the next one. Much like back-to-back winning seasons are elusive for some sports teams are difficult, so are the Bond films that improve on quality for more than two films. Spectre falls into this category unfortunately. It’s not a bad film, but just like you rarely eat bad pizza, this particular one isn’t as good as the one before it, but it’s still OK.

Spectre is a mixed bag because it goes back to Bond’s past, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Many of my favorite Bond films were in the camp-era of Roger Moore. They were fun, spy films that were engaging and seen through the proper lens are still entertaining today. Sure the acting and some of the scripts were suspect, but they were fun and had globe-trotting adventures of 007.

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