Tra La Laaaaaa... "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie"

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)

Rated PG

Starring Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Ed Helms, Nick Kroll,

Directed by David Soren

The Story:

George (Hart) and Harold (Middleditch) are best friends whose overactive imagination and love of comic books has landed them in trouble one time too often with Principal Krupp (Helms). To get them out of trouble, they hypnotize the principal into believing that he is the super-powered Captain Underpants. What could possibly go wrong?

Dreamworks Animation offers up a movie I would never have imagined watching in all my life.

I had seen the books in the libraries and bookstores over the years, and I always rolled my eyes and shook my head.

The artwork was always a turn off for me, and I had no desire to read whatever the story could be to my kids.

So here comes this one, and I groaned...

Until I saw the trailer.

Then I laughed.

So I figured, what the heck, how bad could it be?

It's from Dreamworks, and as I've mentioned before, their track record in our house runs a bit higher than Disney over the last decade.

Honestly, we were not disappointed.

The voice cast is tremendous, and the laughs and jokes are non-stop.

Plus, buried beneath the funny there's a little heart to the story about growing up tucked away in there as well.

Kudos to Ed Helms for double-duty as the stern principal and the goofy hero who alternate throughout the movie, often at the snap of the fingers.

I'm not sure if there will be a second movie, but if it is, we'll be there.

Final Grade: Solid B

So That's Where Babies Come From..."The Boss Baby"

The Boss Baby (2017)

Rated PG

Starring Alec Baldwin, Miles Bakshi, Jimmy Kimmel, Lisa Kudrow, Steve Buscemi, Tobey Maguire

Directed by Tom McGrath

The Story:

This is the story about how Tim (Bakshi) and his little brother (Baldwin) first met, and how they saved the world from not having anymore babies. At least as recounted by Tim (Maguire) now that he's much older.

Well, if you would have told me at the beginning of the year that 2 of my favorite animated films of 2017 would be studies on where babies come from, I would have called you crazy.

But here we are.

After the surprisingly touching Storks taught people how to be better parents, along comes Boss Baby with a lesson on what it takes to be a sibling.

Along with all the laughs, be prepared for an emotional moment or two as well.

This is nothing new of late, as Dreamworks Animation keeps killing it with their movies.

I know the rest of the world clamors for whatever Disney or Pixar is putting out next, but Dreamworks seems to be the most consistent maker of animated hits in our household.

Baldwin shines as Boss Baby, and he basically plays himself, or at least what audiences have come to perceive as Alec Baldwin, just as a tiny baby. Sure, it sounds crazy, but it works.

However, don't look past the role of Tim, which Dreamworks veteran Bakshi imbues with a lot of heart and soul. Graduating to a starring role versus just one of the kid characters he's played before, he holds his own with Baldwin and provides the emotional punch for the movie in the finale.

Apparently a sequel is heading our way. Not sure how they'll pull that off, but I'll be ready for it.

Final Grade: B+

Took Me Long Enough... "Kung Fu Panda 3"

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Kate Hudson, J.K. Simmons, David Cross, James Hong

Directed by Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh

The Story:

Po (Black) reunites with his long lost father (Cranston), much to the chagrin of his current father (Hong) and they journey to the hidden Panda village so that Po can master his chi. Kai (Simmons) has been defeating the masters both in the spirit world and is now back in our world, more powerful than ever. Po must teach the new pandas how to do the Fu in order to save his friends, and the world!

So you might remember earlier this year when the kids went to the movies and saw this one:

"There was a very good plot. A great balance between the action and the humor.  It didn't let me down with the franchise and go out on a low note.  I'd give it an A!"

"Amazing.  I give it an A!"

"I think it was very funny, not too serious and not all action. I really liked what the movie did with both of Po's dads. I give it an A!"

"So far the best film I've seen all year. It didn't exceed the the greatness of Part 2, but it may very well have equaled it. Definitely an A."

"It was great. There were two sad parts that made me cry sad tears. I was glad I got to see it."

" It was phenomenal. By far the prettiest of all three movies and the animation was just spectacular. Not quite as good as Part 2, but really, really, really good nonetheless."



How am I supposed to compete with those kinds of reviews?

:)

So the movie has been in our house since the release, and I managed to walk in at the part where Po begins training the panda village.

I didn't really want to review half a movie, so I figured I'd probably catch the beginning sooner or later.

That said, what I had seen was the usual awesome work from Dreamworks, and a lot of fun from the cast.

Especially inspired work from a villainous J.K. Simmons who seems to be having a blast as the baddest bad guy that nobody has ever heard of.

Then the movie came to Netflix streaming, and it's played a few times since then, and I seemingly always arrive when it's time for Po to start training the village.

So I finally grabbed the remote and started it from scratch.

I wasn't disappointed.

Again, Cranston's hot streak of great movies chugs along, and it's a nice conclusion to the Kung Fu Panda trilogy.

Whether they continue, or not, it's been a great series of films, and Dreamworks should be very proud of what they've accomplished.

Can't argue with the kids on this one.

It's really good, and possibly just a bit less awesome than Part 2.

But what a great trilogy they've entertained us with!

Final Grade: A

Special Guest Reviews: "Kung Fu Panda 3 "

Kung Fu Panda 3 (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Jack Black, Bryan Cranston, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Seth Rogen, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Kate Hudson, J.K. Simmons, David Cross, James Hong

Directed by Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh

The Story:

Po (Black) reunites with his long lost father (Cranston) and they journey to where the rest of the Pandas are located.  However, while he is away, a new villain, Kai (Simmons) begins defeating the Kung Fu masters. Po must teach the new pandas how to do the Fu in order to save his friends, and the world!

Kung Fu Panda was released in 2008 to much commercial and critical success.

In 2011, Kung Fu Panda 2 came out and did the unusual and unthinkable: it was the sequel that was better than the original.  It matched the humor of the original, but this time it brought some emotional heart to the festivities.

I never bothered with either for years, until I finally watched both last year. Hmmm. I guess I should've thrown some reviews on the site! ;)

So with the release of Part 3, I sent the experts on all thing Panda into the theater to do my dirty work for me.

Here then are some of their thoughts on the movie:

First we'll start with the biggest fan of  Kung Fu Panda in the house -

There was a very good plot. A great balance between the action and the humor.  It didn't let me down with the franchise and go out on a low note.  I'd give it an A!

Next kid:

Amazing.  I give it an A!

How about # 3?

I think it was very funny, not too serious and not all action. I really liked what the movie did with both of Po's dads. I give it an A!

As for the oldest that saw the movie on Friday:

 So far the best film I've seen all year. It didn't exceed the the greatness of Part 2, but it may very well have equaled it. Definitely an A.

And the opinion of the youngest:

It was great. There were two sad parts that made me cry sad tears. I was glad I got to see it.

Apparently it was so good, the oldest had to go see it on Sunday to see if it was indeed truly as good as everyone said.

Her text: It was phenomenal. She elaborated later that it was by far the prettiest of all three movies and the animation was just spectacular. Then her comments seemed to echo just about everyone else, not quite as good as Part 2, but really, really, really good nonetheless.

Overall final grade (for now):  Looks like the A's have it. Sounds like a contender for Best of the Year if I know what's good for me.

The real grade will be revealed when it comes out on Netflix or for sale later this year.

;)

It's Enough To Make Me Cancel Netflix..."Mr. Peabody and Sherman"

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2015)

TV-Y7

Starring Chris Parnell, Max Charles

The Story:

Now that everyone knows about the WABAC machine, Mr. Peabody (Parnell) and his boy Sherman (Charles) decide to use the device to host a talk show right from their apartment.

Seriously.

For the record, I found the original Mr. Peabody and Sherman pieces from Rocky & Bullwinkle to be mildly amusing at best, but more often than not, never really cared for them. I found it to be the weakest link in the show.

I was pleasantly surprised with how well the movie was made, so I had moderate hopes of a continued success with the new Netflix original.

Where do I begin with this train-wreck?

We'll start with the good: Parnell does an admirable job filling in for Ty Burrell as the voice of Mr. Peabody and Charles returns to have some fun as Sherman.

And there you have it.

The bad: Everything else.

The art style is straight out of the bad 90s cartoons from Cartoon Network that I refused to let my kids watch because they were hard on the eyes, and painful to the brain. Courage the Cowardly Dog, Ed, Edd and Eddie, Ren & Stimpy (I know, different network) and countless others with a "style" that they happily called their own which looked rough, unfinished, and just plain bad.

It returns with a vengeance in Peabody. Watch Sherman and see how many times his teeth change as his face changes. It's horribly pathetic, and a style I am not a fan of.

These were the shows that I forbid my kids to watch as they were growing up.

Yes, I know, I'm an evil parent.

Instead, I forced them to watch Looney Tunes and classic Hanna Barbera offerings so they could see what good animation with a great script could be like, and I didn't have to suffer while their brains were turned to mush.

Speaking of great scripts, the writing team for this show boasts 6 writers. Apparently none of them know or get humor because I think in the 23 minutes of the first show, I laughed once.

Once.

And I don't even think it was at the groan-inducing "moral of the story" pun you come to expect in a Peabody cartoon.

I think it was more of a pity, "I can't believe someone paid to have this made" laugh at the absurdity of it all.

If you want a talk show with cartoon characters that is drawn well and actually funny, go find episodes of Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.

That was comedy gold.

This is fool's gold.

And I won't be fooled into watching another episode.

Ever.

Final Grade: F

Time To Go Back In Time... "Mr. Peabody and Sherman"

Mr. Peabody & Sherman (2014)

PG

Starring Ty Burrell, Max Charles, Stephen Colbert, Patrick Warburton

Directed by Rob Minkoff

The Story:

Mr. Peabody (Burrell) is a very smart talking dog who adopts a boy named Sherman (Charles). Among Peabody's many accomplishments is the WABAC machine which allows them to travel back in time and visit with luminaries in history. When Sherman violates a time travel rule, it's up to Peabody to try and set history right, before he loses everything, including his boy!

Did you ever think the Mr. Peabody shorts from Rocky and Bullwinkle would become a feature length movie?

Yeah, me neither.

However they did it, and it worked pretty well.

To be honest, I never really was a fan of Peabody and Sherman back in the Bullwinkle series. I found that to be the weak link, but it was short and over before you knew it, so no biggie.

This film, from Dreamworks Animation, was an enjoyable experience that provided more laughs than dry stretches of "who cares", and that's important in any animated film.

As usual, Dreamworks spares no expense making a lush looking film that is just gorgeous to watch. Then a stellar voice cast that brings the characters to life.

The writing is clever enough, but throws in enough eye-rolling puns to keep in the spirit of the original.

I was expecting the worst, and I was happily disappointed.

:)



Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Wound up under the tree for the kids for Christmas. Won't be opposed to watching it again in the future. Or the past!

He Comes In Peace. Mostly. "Megamind"

Megamind (2010)

Rated PG

Starring Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill

Directed by Tom McGrath

The Story:

Megamind (Ferrell) is the world's greatest supervillain.  However, he is constantly kept in check by Metro Man (Pitt).  After years of putting Roxanne (Fey) in peril, the relationship is changed forever when Megamind kills Metro Man!  Missing his heroic arch-nemesis, Megamind creates a new hero to fight (Hill).  But when he goes rogue to use his powers for evil, Megamind must become the hero he never wanted to become.

A loving homage to superheroes, Dreamworks unleashed Megamind to help put a twist on the genre.

While not the perfection of The Incredibles, this film still has quite a bit to offer, not the least of which is the top-notch vocal talents of the 4 lead characters.

Dreamworks Animation continues to produce stealth classics that are overlooked and under-appreciated by the audience and critics.

I would be more than happy to see a sequel in the future, but I don't see that coming anytime soon.

So in the meantime, I'll just sit back and enjoy this one.

I think as time passes, this one will get more appreciated for all that it has to offer.

Final Grade: Solid B, maybe B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I already own it, and it's a fun one to pop in and rewatch every so often.

How To Enjoy The Weekend Part 2: "How To Train Your Dragon 2"

How To Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Rated PG for violence and dragons!

Starring Jay Baruchel, America Ferrera, Cate Blanchett, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig, Djimon Honsou

Directed by Dean DeBlois

The Story:

It's been several years since we last met the Vikings of Berk on the big screen, and as the film opens, it turns out they have adjusted to life quite well being dragon-riders.  Stoik (Butler) has designs on Hiccup (Baruchel) taking over as Chieftan of Berk, but Hiccup is too busy trying to find his way in the world and deciding what he really wants to be.  He's having too much fun exploring the world with Toothless and discovering all of the new lands.  It's on one of these adventures when he discovers two very important things:  there is an evil army collecting dragons in preparation for war; there is a mysterious dragon-rider who has ties to Berk and could help Hiccup unlock more dragon secrets than he ever imagined.

Dreamworks Animation has done it again.

That's pretty much your spoiler-free review right there!

:)

If you loved the first one, and just about everyone who has ever seen it, does... well, you're going to love this one.

If you've missed the first one, I don't think you'd be too terribly lost.  The narration provides you everything you need to get caught up, but it doesn't feel like a horrid rehash of what has gone one before.

The animation is mesmerizing.  Such beautiful landscapes, it's absolutely breathtaking.

The voice work is top-notch, with several new characters being introduced alongside all of your favorites from the first film.

What can be said about Toothless?  Perhaps the cutest animal ever to appear on film.  Half cat... half dog...

All dragon.

The only piece of advice I might offer...

Don't be surprised if like over half of my viewing companions last night...

Tears might be shed.

You've been warned.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: It's a purchase...no question.  Only a few of the family will see it in theaters, the rest are waiting for DVD. 

Will there be a 3rd outing?  Hard to say, but if they choose to, we'll be back!

How To Enjoy Your Weekend..."How To Train Your Dragon"

How To Train Your Dragon (2010)
Rated PG for violence and dragons

Starring Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Kristin Wiig, America Ferrera,

Directed by Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

The Story:

On the island of Berk, the Vikings are led by Stoick the Vast (Butler).  What these Vikings do is try an survive and kill dragons when they are attacked.  Stoick's son Hiccup (Baruchel) is not exactly the Viking his dad had hoped he would be.  Very imaginative, but not very...Viking-like...Hiccup wants to help out, but nobody really wants him around.  When he uses one of his contraptions to actually shoot down the elusive Night Fury dragon, Hiccup will go to prove that he's got what it takes to be a Viking.  However, when he finds his dragon, he is going to discover that everything the Vikings thought they know about dragons...

Is a lie!

Better late than never is one way to approach this film.

My kids have adored this movie for the last 4 years, and they always begged me to watch it.  I would always come up with some excuse or another to not join in the festivities, so this one remained unseen by me until recently.

However, with a sequel set to come out today, and the kids hoping that I will either take them, or maybe go with them, there was no time like the present to give this one a shot.

Boy, am I glad I did.

Continuing in a line of impressive Dreamworks Animated films, this movie has everything you want in an animated movie:

a) It's absolutely gorgeous
b) The voice cast is great, but not overbearing in stunt celebrity casting
c) The story itself is enjoyable
d) There is a deeper heartfelt aspect to the movie that proves it's not just for kids.

Sadly, many of Dreamworks offerings are overlooked at the box office, but when they have a hit, it hits big!

It's weird at the feast or famine aspect of Dreamworks at the box office.  This was every bit as enjoyable as Rise of the Guardians or Turbo, but those two were flops and this was a success.

At this stage in the game, Dreamworks should be celebrated like Pixar.  They aren't, and that's puzzling.

I won't attempt to explain it, I'll just admit that I'm disappointed.

At the end of the movie, the film has resolved all of the issues that were raised during the film.

That they put their hero(es) as capable to save the day with a disability is an extra feather in the cap that Dreamworks should really be proud of.

As usual, my kids were right, and I'm glad they finally got me to come around.

It won't be 4 years until I see the sequel.

If you or your kids haven't seen it yet, or as a primer for this weekend's sequel, I highly encourage you to do so!

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I already own it.  Looking forward to the sequel.  And this marks the 2nd Dreamworks Animated film in the running for Best Films of 2014. If Part 2 is half as good, I may end up with 3 animated features from one studio all vying for the top spot!

Come back tomorrow and see how Part 2 fared!

:)