Big Hero 6 (2014)

4/5

Big Hero 6 is a wonderfully enjoyable animated film by Disney. Much of the film centers around the relationship between Hiro (Potter), a young technophile and "bot fighter," and his older brother Tadachi (Henney), an engineering student at a futuristic tech institute. Tadachi has created a health-focused robot called Baymax (Adsit), but Hiro is less than impressed at the huggable marshmallow of a machine. After a catastrophe at the institute's tech fair, Hiro must join up with a band of misfit superheroes to protect the city from a nefarious villain.

The same production company behind Frozen makes essentially its action-oriented counterpart, focusing on brotherly love in the context of a superhero world instead of a princess fairytale. It features similar themes and predictable plot points, but the repetition surprisingly does nothing to take away from the overall experience. Disney films are never really about shocking audiences with plot twists but about wowing them with stellar storytelling and magical details. Big Hero 6 delights--it's adorable, exciting, and fun--and is another big win for Disney.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/

Unstoppable (2010)

3/5

Tony Scott's Unstoppable is a simple movie with a simple premise. An unmanned train is careening across Pennsylvania at 70 miles per hour with 8 cars of hazardous cargo. A veteran locomotive engineer (Washington) and a young train operator (Pine) attempt to stop it by latching their own train onto the renegade train's back and gunning it in the opposite direction. And that's about all you need to know plot-wise. The movie is a fairly generic popcorn flick, but it does what it intends to do well. It keeps you excited for its entire length, with excellent pacing and editing. The acting turned out to be much better than I expected (only because I never expect very much from these types of movies), but the script as a whole was quite lacking. The cinematography and directing were also bland, which comes as a welcome departure from what I'm used to from Tony Scott. To sum up, if you're looking for a way to kick back and watch an hour and a half of thrills without having to think, then this is the movie to do it.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0477080/

She's Out Of My League (2010)

4/5

She's Out Of My League is a male-oriented romantic comedy about an average-looking guy named Kirk (Baruchel) who gets asked out by a "hard 10" named Molly (Eve). The plot is fairly simplistic and follows the basic formula of all romantic comedies: guy meets girl, guy and girl disagree about something that is usually fixed in a day, guy and girl make up and live happily ever after. But throughout the movie we get the sense that something is amiss; why is a 10 hitting on a 5? The answer is pretty obvious and fairly benign, so don't go into the movie expecting some surprise ending where all secrets are revealed. In fact, the plot itself is the least interesting part about this movie. The most interesting part about this movie, on the other hand, is something you'll find out in the next paragraph.

As in all good movies, the characters are the heart of the film. They sparkle with familiarity and honesty; they are unique without feeling written. They are acted well, which helps elevate them off the printed page. The jokes are strong as well, especially when emotions or tensions bubble up and eliminate their inhibitions. We see what really makes these people tick and what fools they make of themselves when they lose their cool. And when they do, it's pretty cool to find out that there are real human beings beneath the fictional characters. Taken as a whole, She's Out Of My League isn't the most original movie, but cliches are repeated for a reason. They work. And so they do in this movie as well, which I highly recommend for a good laugh.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0815236/

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)

4/5

How To Train Your Dragon by DreamWorks is a phenomenal animated film on the same level as most Pixar movies. The plot follows the young Viking Hiccup (Baruchel) and his great warrior father Stoick (Butler) on an island plagued by dragon attacks. Hiccup isn't like the other Vikings--he's scrawny and uses his brain to invent weapons instead of wielding giant hammers and axes--and his father lets him know how disappointed he is in him because of it. Wanting to kill a dragon and prove to his father that he's a manly Viking, he tests out a new weapon on an elusive dragon species called the Night Fury. He strikes the dragon down, injuring the tail so that he can no longer escape. He has the opportunity to kill the dragon but discovers that he can't. He sees the dragons with the same fear that he felt and realizes that they're just like him, instead of the evil creatures he's been taught must be killed on sight. But that is just the beginning of this epic tale.

This movie is an exhilarating and memorable ride. Despite a few bad puns, the writing is exceptional. I was a huge fan of the repetition of certain phrases that, when placed in different contexts, showed new meaning. I liked the play on words with the concept of "dragon training," and how it did a complete reversal from what it was in the beginning of the movie. To me, the writers clearly treated this film with care, intellect, and a faith and respect in their audience that is a rarity in "kids" movies these days. That kind of attention to detail was present in their incredible graphics as well, even though I didn't see it in 3D (I think they give me more headaches than they're worth). Without going for the cuteness of Pixar or the realism of Beowulf, they managed a charismatic and charming style that feels appropriate for the subject matter and wholly original.

There were a few things I didn't like about the movie, however. First, Baruchel's voicing of Hiccup was irritating. By about 10 minutes in, I just got annoyed at his whiny, monotonous tenor and wished he was played by anybody else, even Michael Cera. Second, the fight and reunion with his father felt written and didn't quite ring true, although it nonetheless contained some tearjerking ability. Third, there were some aspects of the plot I didn't (and still don't) get, but they're relatively minor and don't really hinder your enjoyment of the film. This movie goes wholly recommended by me, because it has just about everything you could ask for in a film, including the all-important entertainment value.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/

Cloverfield (2008)

4/5

Cloverfield, produced by the seemingly unstoppable JJ Abrams, is a remarkably thrilling and engaging monster/disaster movie. It kept me on the edge of my seat nearly the entire time. The brilliant marketing campaign (mysterious trailer, viral websites, etc.) created a hype that it was actually able to meet. And I'm sure it will become a cult classic very quickly. I was a bit skeptical, although intrigued, when I first heard that it was to be entirely hand-held POV, but it performed past my expectations. Coming to the movie as a filmmaker, I know how unrealistic much of the POV explanations were. Many shots wouldn't have been edited, wouldn't have been as steady, and wouldn't have even existed (the camera probably would have been left behind a number of times). Still, these sacrifices were made for the sake of the audience and the story, and it was never so bad that I was unable to suspend my disbelief. (Cleaning the blood off the camera lens with his shirt was a bit laughable though.)

The special effects were absolutely phenomenal. I have no idea how they did what they did, but they deserve some serious congratulations. Sound design, editing, and cinematography were all above average. The acting was believable and I felt like I got to know the characters well. The cameraman was a bit too glib given the situation, but his humor went much appreciated by me. The backstories of all the characters, including the monster, were surprisingly fleshed out, considering the relatively simple storyline and short runtime. Beyond these technical aspects is the mood, the atmosphere, the experience of watching it. And I must say, it was exhilarating. There were scenes of pulse-pounding tension (the spider attack) and tender emotions (the phone call with his mother). The movie did not try to explain everything, but it explained enough to satisfy you while simultaneously keeping you curious. There were flaws--the biggest being a rather weak ending--but none that can't be ignored. And none that will ruin the movie. I highly recommend it. JJ Abrams knows how to give the people what they want.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1060277/