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 - "The Hangover Part II" (2011)

Sometimes it is not about the destination, it is about the journey; and other times it is about where you end up, not how you got there. “The Hangover Part II” seems to fall into neither of these categories, as the destination and the journey are a photo copied, clone of its predecessor. Want to see the “The Hangover Part II”? I recommend watching “The Hangover,” except add some more penises and a monkey. The plots are identical, the situations are identical, the timing of some of the gags is identical, and the ending is identical. The only thing not shared between both of these films is the amount of laughs. “The Hangover Part II” simply is not as funny and, more importantly, not as memorable.

The plot for this movie is the exact same as the first. Stu (Ed Helms) is getting married. His friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha), and Alan (Zach Galifianakis), go to Thailand for the wedding. Surprise, surprise: Stu, Phil, and Alan awake from a drug-induced coma that leaves them amnesic of the prior night’s events, with Stu’s soon-to-be-bride’s little brother missing. It is up to the trio to find the little brother in Bangkok before the wedding.

Simply put, this movie is a clone of the first one and comes off as money hungry. It relies more on sight gags and cheap laughs. Even though the scope of the film is increased, it does not seem to have any direct effect on how gigantic the events were from the original film. It is its own worst enemy. Nothing can top finding out that they stole a cop car and Mike Tyson’s tiger. The expectations were far too high for the sequel to succeed. The themes of the second film were darker in tone and not as playful as the first, and this gives it a tad more personality. This movie overall did make me laugh, but upon a second viewing, it had already lost some of its luster. This movie is like watching someone paint a mustache on the Mona Lisa, changing the original slightly, but, overall, it is the same damned thing.


By V-Dawg