Review: Despicable Me 2 3D

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Illumination Entertainment has fallen into the Hollywood money-making mentality called "the sequel trap". With only four releases under Illumination's belt, it's sad that they already had to resort to sequels.

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They also had to resort to seeing through women's clothing.

Hope Springs

Hope Springs, as the title would hint at it, is about having hope and hope following through with your expectations. Headlined by the Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, the film morphs into a hopeful romantic movie about an elderly couple. But really, Hope Springs is actually the name of the small town where our two leads spend a few days or so to undergo an intense marriage counseling from this guy.

That's doctor-psychologist Steve Carrell. Would you really take this guy seriously?

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Well, the movie is just as the title says it is. Crazy and stupid. Not really that stupid, though. Because I liked it. Kind of.

Emma Stone is a good actress, though she's not really my type. Even if she's a redhead. Julianne Moore still has some hotness left in her. And she's a redhead. So what exactly is my rule on redheads? I don't even know exactly.

Marisa Tomei is hot even without red hair.

Steve Carell shows his acting flexibility by showing us a bit of his dramatic side. Maybe he's like Jim Carrey, who really wanted to be a serious actor, but had to use his comic talents as a stepping stone. After seeing Steve Carell's horrible wardrobe in the beginning of the film, I too have decided that I probably need a makeover. Although I would rather have Gabriel Macht help me with it than Ryan Gosling.

Because seriously, he does look like he's Photoshopped.

Yes, this may be your typical rom-com. But there's this twist at the end, which I shall not speak of, because I don't think anyone would ever see it coming, not unless they were involved with the script in any way.

Wait a minute... Josh Groban? You're doing Hollywood films now? Opera-style singing not enough to pay the bills, eh?

"I'ma practice this face so I can land more roles."

And also, remember Hannah's friend Liz? I'll bet she's Pinay. Like if I had a hundred dollars, I'd bet it all on her Filipino blood. And a quick search on IMDb says... drumroll... yes she is Pinay.

With a name like Liza Lapira, it should be really obvious.

Crazy, Stupid, Love. USA. 2011.


Rating: Seven out of ten.



*some info from IMDb
pics from VLC

Despicable Me. 3D

MEMO¹

FROM: Ze Big Bosses
TO: All cast and crew, Despicable Me
RE: Kudos

Kudos to everyone who worked hard on Despicable Me, making Illumination Entertainment's first film a huge success. I don't really like using the word "kudos". I only like using Latin-descended words. Anyway, Despicable Me's success is sure to show Pixar and DreamWorks that they don't have the monopoly over great computer-animated films.

To the voice actors (Steve Carrell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, and Julie Andrews), GREAT JOB! (See, "great job" sounds way better than "kudos".) I told you guys before that voice actors should be paid for their talent, not their voice. I am personally sick and tired of Hollywood's "Name That Voice" approach to voice acting, which doesn't pose any challenge whatsoever. I mean, I can name that voice in one word. With my eyes closed. Come on. I hope our new approach, which I like to call "The Mel Blanc Tradition", catches on.

And to the animation department, great job on the 3D! This is way more eye-popping-in-your-face 3D than How to Train Your Dragon. Again, that'll show DreamWorks and Pixar. I especially love the end credits sequence. It's so real! (You have to say that the same way as "It's so fluffy!")

To the sound department, good call on using Pharrell (is that a double-R and double-L?). "Despicable Me" is like the best theme song to a computer-animated film ever. Here's to an Oscar for Best Original Song! Or a nomination at least. 

And finally, let me just say that I was teary-eyed by the movie's end. The daughters are soooo cute! They're so fluffy!

Again, great job, all of you. Just give yourselves a pat on the back. Don't expect any bonuses just now, as we are a new company, and we will not see tremendous returns until after our fourth fiscal year.


¹Not a real memo.




*some info from IMDb
pic from swaleff.wordpress.com


Despicable Me. USA. 2010.


Rating: Eight out of ten.
3D-ness: Nine out of ten.

Date Night

I personally find Steve Carell hilarious. Some people don't like him. Well, I do.

Tina Fey is cute as ever, but she has been shadowed by an even cuter, sexier girl who goes by the name of Leighton Meester. Yum.

Ray Liotta is still doing gangster roles. Isn't he a bit old to keep doing that? And by the way, he does look old. Older than how I remember him, of course.

Olivia Munn may have a cameo, but she doesn't look as hot here as she does on TV. And I'm sorry, Leighton Meester is hotter.

And the winners for this movie are:

1. James Franco ─ Again, like in Pineapple Express, for acting weird roles, and refusing to be typecast as a Hollywood pretty boy.
2. Mark Wahlberg ─ Mr. Shirtless himself has inspired me to lift weights.
3. William Fichtner ─ Any movie with Fichtner in it is a treat to watch. He is such a natural actor, he doesn't even have to talk. He can act with just facial expressions.
4. Mark Ruffalo ─ Despite the less than five minute-screen time, this is the first time I've seen him look scruffy. And it works. The scruffiness, I mean.
5. Leighton Meester ─ Last, but definitely not the least. Leighton Meester is so hot, she makes ice cubes melt in Alaska in winter. What?

*some info from IMDb
pic from ugo.com


Date Night. USA. 2010.


Rating: Six and a half out of ten.

Horton Hears a Who

This is the first ever adaptation of a Dr. Seuss book fully animated with digital technology. This probably is the Seuss adaptation that comes closest to what the author's intention was. At least visually.

Blue Sky Studios has improved from their Ice Age-days, where the only thing they got perfect back then was computer-generated hair. In Horton, the polygons have all disappeared, giving the characters a rounder, more stream-lined look. But still, Blue Sky is no match for Pixar. But that's another story.

Jim Carrey is funny as Horton, while I personally find Steve Carell's wisecracks a bit corny. And honestly, I am a bit tired with the Hollywood practice of getting big names to do voices for animated films. What happened to geniuses like Mel Blanc, who did all the voices for Looney Tunes? Cartoon voicing is an art, and most of the Hollywood actors right now don't have that talent. It's kind of sickening to see an animated character open his mouth with a voice you recognize. They don't even try to change their inflection.

Anyway, that is just my take on the animated film industry in general. But this specific film called Horton Hears a Who is a great work, and it has done justice to the great author, whose other works have been cannibalized by the previous big screen adaptations.


Rating: Four stars.

Trivia: The first animated film to use an all-star voice cast was, believe it or not, Transformers: The Movie, released way back in 1986. This was way, way before Robin Williams lent his voice as the Genie in Disney's Aladdin.