The Lego Movie (2014)

3/5

The Lego Movie is a two-hour long advertisement that you have to pay to see. Yes, it has a story and characters, but so do thirty-second TV bits. And that doesn't change the fact that it is an advertisement for a brand, even if it is a brand that many people have fond childhood memories of. I typically don't mind product placement (e.g., I, Robot) or obvious sponsorship (e.g., The Hire: Powder Keg) as long as the movie can stand on its own merits. This movie cannot. If our analytic functions weren't so warped by our communal nostalgia of the lovable building bricks, it would be obvious to everybody just how middle-of-the-road this movie is.

The movie is frustrating because its creators seem confused as to what they are trying to say. Every theme seems half-baked, every new message inconsistent with the last one. The Lego Movie is a conceptual mess. The only thing I am certain of is that this movie thinks Legos are awesome and that you should go buy some right now!

The movie starts by satirizing the idea that following rules is good, by mocking the idea that teamwork is beneficial. (Side note: is it even really that bad to abide by laws? to work as a team?) It uses the incredibly catchy song Everything Is AWESOME!!! as a representation of the fascist, domineering society where we lose our individuality, but then uses that very same song to cheer up one of the characters later on. So are we supposed to like it or are we supposed to reject it? Because it's currently one of the most popular songs on iTunes.

And I'm a little confused by the ending. I don't want to spoil things for those who haven't seen it, so I urge people who don't want this mediocre movie spoiled to stop reading now. After this sentence there be spoilers. So is Emmett real or is he in the boy's imagination? If it's all made up, then how did Emmett move around on the table and attract the boy's attention? If it's all real, then it seems as if the boy just took credit for building literally hundreds of new designs that the Lego people actually built! Seems a little fishy to me. See what I mean when I say that the movie feels underdeveloped and poorly-thought out?

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/

When In Rome (2010)

3/5

When In Rome is a silly little movie with a lot of heart and charm. The plot is outrageously dumb: Beth (Bell) steals five coins from a fountain in Italy and a spell is placed on the five people who threw their coins in looking for love. One is an artist (Arnett), one is a sausage businessman (DeVito), one is a magician (Heder), and one is a male model (Shepard). "But wait!" you say, "That's only four!" You are correct. Incidentally, Nick (Duhamel) is also in love with her, and Beth must figure out if it's because of true love or if it's because the fifth coin was his and he is merely under the spell.

Yes, I know, it is preposterous and corny, but it gets an A for effort. You see these men attempt to win her over with the most desperate and sad displays of affection. They try and try and try to please her but to no avail. And once you get past the buffoonery and circus-like lunacy, you find a smile somehow crept its way up onto your face. I don't know how it does this, because the writing is terrible, but the actors put so much of themselves into their ridiculous roles that you just have to love it. Some parts of the story started out blunt and obvious (e.g., Beth's love of her job over personal relationships), but further into the movie it became surprisingly subtle and nuanced. But by far the most surprising thing about this movie for me was how charismatic Duhamel turned out to be. It's easy to see why he's starring in all these romantic comedies nowadays. You don't have to watch this movie (but feel free if it sounds like your kind of movie), but you should definitely keep an eye out for Duhamel.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1185416/

Despicable Me (2010)

4.9/5

Despicable Me is an absolutely delightful film no matter how you slice it. The plot follows Gru (Carell), whose only goal in life is to become the greatest supervillain in the world. When the Great Pyramid of Giza is stolen by Vector (Segel), he steals Gru's media limelight and becomes Gru's new archenemy. So Gru decides to adopt three little orphans and use them in his master plot to steal the moon and embarrass Vector at the same time.

This movie is the first feature film for the new Illumination Animation studio and, if they keep making movies of this quality, their success is guaranteed. The directing is pitch-perfect. It deftly blends comedy with excitement, family appeal with evil intentions. The feel is a combination of Tim Burton and Pixar; the union manifests itself as a wholly realized alternate reality, but cutesy instead of scary. I absolutely adore how they play with their self-imposed rules to enthrall and surprise you (e.g., cracking and shaking up the minion to generate light). The comic timing and the editing are spectacular, resulting in an experience that is enjoyable without a single wasted second or shot. The voice-acting was impeccable. Even though they used big names, they were so well disguised that you felt as if you saw and hear each character, not the actor (everyone except Jack McBrayer, that is).

And it is not just for kids either. It has a lot of mature thematic content (and references to movies like The Godfather). It subtly delves into the reasons people act the way they do and dream the things they dream. But the heart of the movie is a compelling and uplifting story about family. Despite everything else this movie does right (and it does nearly everything right), what will imprint this movie in the memories of its viewers is its heartfelt storytelling. What more can you ask in a movie than to come out of the theater feeling rejuvenated and inspired?

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1323594/

Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

3/5

Monsters vs. Aliens is an all right movie. Even watching it on an HDTV with a group of friends, you could tell it was made with the intent of being seen in 3D and that the target audience was more kids than their parents or their older siblings. The plot follows Susan (Witherspoon) on her wedding day, who gets hits by a meteor and becomes 50 feet tall. She is taken by the government, represented by General Monger (Sutherland), to a monster storage facility, where she meets BOB the blob (Rogen), the lizardman called The Missing Link (Arnett), the mad scientist Dr. Cockroach (Laurie), and the ginormous silent Insectosaurus. When aliens, represented by Gallaxhar (Wilson), start invading earth, the government unleashes the monsters to fight them off.

The movie is pretty slow to start, not making any good jokes and not progressing the plot much. In fact, it's kind of awkward and unsettling to see Susan's relationship with her fiance (Rudd). Once it gets going (about halfway in), there are quite a few laugh-out-loud moments. The graphics aren't particularly awesome, especially compared to Pixar films, but they're still pretty good (especially in HD). All in all, the movie is fairly average. It garnered some laughs, but there weren't really too too many jokes or moments that I can see myself quoting or remembering in the future. Pass on it unless you're a huge B monster movie fan.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892782/

Ratatouille (2007)

4/5

Ratatouille is a delightful family movie with aspects nearly everyone can enjoy. Remy the rat has a gift for cooking because of his sense of smell, but his father wants to use him as a poison detector instead of letting him live his dreams. Linguini is a buffoon hired out of necessity to be the garbage boy of a famous restaurant that recently fell out of favor with food critics. Their paths cross and the adventure begins. The animation is absolutely brilliant; every frame makes you stare in awe. Liquids, fur, and their combination are notoriously difficult to animate and they were stunning in this film. The ingenuity and the innovation were real joys to watch (Remy marionetting Linguini, all the rats cooking in the kitchen, etc.). It was fun to watch and never got old or boring. These are rare traits in a modern movie, and much appreciated.

I found the characters a bit hollow. Remy was the chef who always made the perfect dish, Linguini was the moron who never got anything right, and Colette consistently and predictably chose the wrong ingredients. All the characters were so set and never surprised you. Also, some of the scenes would increase in climax but never quite reach their peaks. For example, many scenes would end with a fade out or cross dissolve into the next one with no real satisfaction of ending the previous one. The comedy was a bit too rare and the emotions were a bit too common; it tries to be too meaningful and doesn't succeed at being funny enough. The plot is a mite too complicated because it feels as if it's trying to tell two stories instead of one--the rat story and the human story. Overall, very much recommended for anyone who loves Disney Pixar and Brad Bird (of The Incredibles fame).

Also, I loved the short that they showed in the beginning (Lifted) and found it to be my favorite of the ones I've seen.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0382932/