The Minority Report - "Puss in Boots" (2011)

I do not like the “Shrek” movies—the origin of this adorable little, Spanish kitty. Luckily, this spin-off completely severs itself from the “Shrek” movies, besides including the character Puss (Antonio Banderas) and, of course, the universe it takes place in. This is, in my opinion, the best thing that “Puss in Boots” could do. The movie not only successfully carves its own path, but also ends up being an entertaining movie.

The story is a motley of impressively intertwined fairy tales placed in a Western European setting. The story delves into the origins of Puss and his upbringing. It also includes his old time buddy, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Gilifiianakis) and his thief companion, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek). I do not want to spoil the story, as it is actually very creative and full of surprises, so I will stop here.

The animation is brilliant and beautiful. The scenery and environment reminded me of the Nickelodeon-produced movie “Rango,” except it didn’t come across as desolate, rather it was more vibrant. I saw this movie in 3D and, yes, it made for the usual more immersive experience, but this movie does not need it. I will also mention that I took a girl on a date during this movie and it was a good choice—it was adorable. This is a movie good for kids and adults alike. In the end there is nothing much to say about this movie besides that it’s a fine animated film, better then the “Shrek” movies, and very enjoyable. This movie was like watching a painting dry that creatively combines several other paintings into one unique experience that is highly entertaining.


By V-Dawg

The Minority Report - "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011)

"Bee, there's something else going on here. The moon program, the cover-ups, the assassinations, it's all led to this..."
After the second movie, I was honestly debating going to see this one. The second one was full of racist and unnecessarily obscene humor, terrible dialogue, and a senseless and overblown plot. The thing is, there was a part of me that wanted to give one of my favorite series as a child a second chance. It was almost as if the Optimus from the original animated series was telling me to do the right thing. So, I ended up watching it. Here’s what I thought…

The film opens up on the planet of Cybertron when a spacecraft called the Ark, known to be carrying an invention capable of ending the long-winded war between the Autobots and Decepticons, escapes from the area and crash lands on the far side of Earth’s moon. NASA detects this and launches the Apollo program with the help of John F. Kennedy to put a man on the moon as a cover for finding the craft. After the astronauts find the craft, the film moves to the present day where the Autobots are helping the US military in a quest for global peace. In their missions, they discover alien technology at Chernobyl and venture to the far side of the moon to find its origins. There, they find Sentinel Prime, one of the leaders of the Autobots, and reboot him in an effort to find out what is going on. He tells them that the secret invention was a space bridge that was meant to teleport matter between two points. All the while, Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) is upset because he can’t be part of the ongoing missions and has lost almost all connection with his Autobot friends. On his job, he is given information by a coworker who is subsequently murdered by a Decepticon. He attempts to go to the Autobots to tell them about what is occurring as more people lose their lives, and that’s when all hell breaks loose. It leads to the ultimate battle between a great evil and the ultimate force of sentient good in the universe.

As can be ascertained from the description, the plot is still overblown. At least this time, it isn’t exactly senseless. The movie achieves something which its predecessor lacked: it has the feel of the original. Even though the storytelling is still sub-par and some of the humor misses the mark, it tries to be as charming and as fresh as the movie that started the franchise. One thing that has upset me from the beginning and did even more in this movie is how Michael Bay focuses a few too many minutes of precious plotline on shots of the female ‘lead’ (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley)—if she could be called that. It almost makes her a selling point in the movie. I understand the phrase ‘sex sells,’ but there are still people out there that enjoy a movie because it is good and not because some English model is walking around looking surprisingly not beat up and dusty in every scene after an explosion. Apart from that, I must mention that I watched it in 3D and, once again, I don’t think it was worth it. One of my cousins was with me and, being 7 years old, I expected him to enjoy the 3D depth and action. As it turns out, after we left the theater, he said he had decided that he didn’t really like 3D. Good man. This movie is like watching paint dry on a pillar that is teleporting sentient robot beings to destroy the Earth.


By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "Super 8" (2011)

"If you talk about this, you and your parents will all die."
In all honesty, behind “Falling Skies,” the trailer for “Super 8” was probably the biggest letdown of the Superbowl commercials. It was one of those trailers that had a lot to hide and very little to show. I was intrigued, but not enough to follow up. Slowly, more bits of the story came together. As the date of release came closer, I became more interested. When the initial reviews came in, I was convinced I needed to see it. The thing that solidified the idea of watching the movie was the fake rendition of the movie on Funny or Die, which was hilarious. Ready? 3…2…1…“CLOVERFIELD”!!!

The movie introduces you to a young boy called Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney) who has just lost his mother in a steel mill accident. The movie picks up 4 months after the accident. The year is early 1979, and Joe and his friends make movies on Super 8 mm film with an old camera. They are currently attempting to film a zombie flick for a film festival and they needed an extra actress. A girl called Alice Dainard (Elle Fanning) is used, and there is immediately a spark between them. During one of their scenes, they are filming in a train station when a train is approaching. For production value, they decide to film while it passes, only to be interrupted by its subsequent derailment and explosion at the hands of a car that hit it head-on purposefully. The kids scatter as the craziness occurs, but the camera keeps filming the entire event as it unfolds. Out of the wreckage come the kids and one mysterious piece of footage. Strange things begin happening around the small town, and it’s got something to do with what was on that train.

It was a surprise hit, to be sure, but J.J. Abrams hit the nail on the head with this one. The story is as mysterious as it is ambitious. It harks back to old Spielberg films in a refreshing way that allows you to enjoy it even though the story has been done before. The spirit behind the unknown and the childish inhibition embodied by the lead character are not soon forgettable, and I am sure that everyone can relate since we have all been young before. Overwhelming sadness and emotion can be dealt with and overcome through strife, and this movie truly teaches us that. It’s nothing new, but it is an excellent new take on an old style. The filming is superb and there is a ton of foreshadowing scattered about. It’s a new movie, but feels like an old ambitious film. Oh, and stay for the credits to experience something that you can’t miss. This movie is like watching paint dry on some old Super 8 mm film while it captures something truly out of this world.


By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "Thor" (2011)

“Whoever wields this hammer, if he be worthy, shall possess the power of Thor.”
Thor is just one of those movies. I had heard about it, but I wasn’t that intrigued by it. I knew what it was about and where it had come from (the Marvel universe, etc.), but I was just apathetic towards it. When V-Dawg told me that we should go see it, I agreed…who would pass up a good movie on a Friday night? We went with a huge group of people to the 3D screening (more on that later), and watched it. I must say, I was genuinely impressed by the movie.

The story centers on the gods of Norse Mythology. Here, though, they are aliens that live in the center of the galaxy. Their home called Asgard and had been at war with a species called the Frost Giants of Jotunheim in the past, but they had been dealt with until the day that Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was going to ascend to the throne and replace his father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins). Against his father’s orders, Thor decides to journey to Jotunheim along with his brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), his friend, Sif (Jaimie Alexander), and a group that has fought alongside him before, called the Warriors Three—Volstagg (Ray Stevenson), Fandral (Joshua Dallas), and Hogun (Tadanobu Asano). There, he confronts Laufey (Colm Feore), the leader of the Frost Giants, trying to find out how they managed to sneak into Asgard. A battle ensues because of Thor’s arrogance, and Odin has to save them from getting killed, pitting Asgard at war with the Frost Giants once more. As a result, Odin exiles Thor to Earth, and curses his hammer so that it may only be used by he who is worthy. From there, Thor has to figure out what has transpired in Asgard, and how to get back before it is too late.

The movie genuinely surprised me. From its honest humor to its overly dramatic fight sequences, I was drawn in. The dialogue was smartly written to contrast Thor’s upbringing from the mortals, and the acting was quite impressive. Considering the fact that this is a movie based on a comic book, it is an excellent breath of life for the superhero genre. The characters (by someone who was unaware or ignorant of the fact that this is based on a comic book) might come across as two dimensional, but for others, their personalities and back-stories are evident. One thing that bothered me was that the movie felt rushed. It was almost as if it was missing something. It’s an immensely enjoyable movie, nonetheless, and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to people. If you have the choice, don’t watch it in 3D, since it is unnecessary and adds nothing to the movie. Everyone that reads my writings knows my feelings towards 3D, but rest assured that you shouldn’t spend the extra money if you can. This movie is like watching paint dry on a hammer that gives the wielder Thor’s powers.


By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "The Last Airbender" (2010)

“He will need you... and we all need him.”
I’m going to go ahead and start off by saying that I am a big fan of the original series. The thing with movies that are based off of something is that they will not be an exact replica. Keeping that in mind, when I went to see it, I forgot all about the television series and began with a blank slate. I had also heard for about a week (because movies come out a week later where I am currently) that the movie was absolutely terrible from everyone and everywhere (from friends to rotten tomatoes). I still held some level of hope, though.

Like the series, the movie is about an alternate earth where there are 4 nations that represent the 4 elements (Earth, Fire, Wind, and Water). Each nation practices different martial arts styles that make some of the people able to control their respective element, which is called “bending”. Legend tells of the avatar, who has the unique ability to master all 4 elements and rotates through all nations in an infinite reincarnation loop. One hundred years ago, he was born to the Air nation; that was also the time when the Fire nation decided to launch an attack to take over the other nations. When the world needed him most, though, the avatar disappeared. Now, one hundred years later, he has reappeared out of an ice sheet. Aang (Noah Ringer), the new avatar, along with the people that found him—Katara (Nicola Peltz) and Sokka (Jackson Rathbone)—have set out to liberate the nations from the grip of Fire and learn all 4 elements.

So…here we go. The movie wasn’t terrible, but it was bad. That is because of 3 main reasons: the script, the acting, and the editing. I had no problem with the camera angles and shots, as they were modeled after many of the scenes from the series and were pretty artful. What was terrible was the way that the movie was put together. Scenes would come and go with barely any cohesion. Only near the end was the editing bearable. Also, the bad acting coupled with the terrible script that only allowed for one-dimensional characters made the movie somewhat hard to watch. The only part of the movie that was fun to watch was the fighting and “bending” scenes because of the fantastic special effects created by Industrial Light and Magic. This movie is definitely like watching paint dry on a wall filled with ancient martial arts drawings and weird hybrid animals.

By Kulguy

The Minority Report - "How to Train Your Dragon" (2009)

“Thanks for nothing, you useless reptile.”
Honestly, I was expecting this movie to be one of those I like, but could have been better if the characters were expanded upon and the storyline was improved. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. The story centers around a young Viking-in-training named Hiccup (because it is thought that ugly names scare away bad spirits). He is undoubtedly the scrawniest of his kind; he can’t even wield a sword without it being too heavy for him. One problem that his village (which is conveniently located on the side of a cliff by the ocean) has is that it has a very severe pest problem—dragons. This society prides itself on its dragon killing and the individual’s strength to be able to repel the beasts. Considering Hiccup is rather tiny, he is often ridiculed for not being all that a Viking should. Enter Toothless. He is what is referred to in the movie as a “night fury.” The pair bond over some time, and then the movie proceeds like a rolling stone down a steep mountain.

One aspect of the movie that I rather enjoyed was the animation. It is almost as if each individual hair is moving on the character’s heads. The dragons themselves have a beautiful design and come in many shapes and sizes (Dreamworks created many different species of dragons for this movie). It is difficult to come across a computer animated movie that has such a mix of pleasant characterizations, breathtaking cinematography, and convincing storyline. At first, they introduce Hiccup. Then, they make a connection between him and the dragon. This serves as a bridge between the audience and the characters. I did not expect to feel such a strong connection to Toothless, but it was welcomed. This made the rest of the movie an amazing ride that brought both thrills and laughs. Whether it was through the camera angles and shots of impressively realistic fire and water animations, or the beautifully crafted flying sequences, the movie seemed to hit home for me and the people that I was with.

Considering Dreamworks last couple of movies, this is a pleasant break from the usual storyline and should appeal to young and old and everything in between. Witty and clever scripts, fantastic characters, and a memorable bond between the audience and the movie are just some of the things you have to look forward to when going to see this movie. While it is full of funny moments and great action, it still leaves room for the good old lesson in the end of each of these types of movies: hatred, terror, and death are all caused and promoted by simple misunderstandings. This movie is like watching the last bit of paint dry on an ancient Norse depiction of their myths and legends.

By Kulguy

Notes:
*When you watch the movie, look out for some foreshadowing that you will only understand in the end…
*I also did not watch the movie in 3D...3D is stupid and a waste of time. Don't waste your money.