Animated Fun for Adult Kids

HOP
ANIMATION

You can’t go in this movie with an adult mind!!! You have to think back as a child, and the wonderment of the Easter Bunny. This is a very funny and cute movie about the Easter Bunny. E.B. (Russell Brand) doesn’t want to be the famous rabbit but a drummer in a rock band. He escapes Easter Island to go to Hollywood and accidentally meets a human, Fred O’ Hare (James Marsden), and a slacker to fulfill his dream. I can’t forget the evil Mexican chick Carlos (Hank Azaria) who wants to take over as the Easter Bunny!! It is very vivid in color and imagination. Kids will love it, and adults would are kids at heart will love it too.

PAUL
SCIENCE FICTION /COMEDY

This movie is like ET, only the alien is cute but loves to curse and smoke!! He wants to escape Area 51 for they want to take his stem cells for more research after he has told them all the technology that he knows. Paul (Seth Rogen) wasn’t good as The Green Hornet but he was very good as the alien. He accidentally meets two English nerds Simon Peg and Nick Frost who just came from a Comic-con and their adventure begins. It is very good who love popular sci-fi movies of the past. Peg and Frost are not only actors their also wrote the screenplay and it is very good. They are a great comedy team as well which we don’t see much anymore. I don’t think it did well in the theaters but I hope it does very well on Blu-ray and DVD.

RIO
ANIMATION

First of all Rio is not the name of the lead character, an exotic bird who cannot fly. His name is Blu, voiced by Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network), and he has to be taken to Rio with his owner to mate with Jewel (Anne Hathaway, Get Smart) for their species is almost extinct. You know there's more than that, and there is lots of adventure when the birds meets funny and dangerous characters. The best supporting cast is Pedro (will.i.aim, singer for Black Eyed Peas) and Nico (singer and actor Jamie Foxx) There are musical numbers, and don’t be surprised if it doesn’t go Broadway soon. The computer animation makes the country Rio so beautiful, you would love to go!!! It is a very cute movie.

Hobos and Codes That Need Adjusting

HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN
ACTION/EXPLOITATION

We have to thank the 2007 movie Grindhouse for the double feature film was great but the fake trailers were even better, and two of the mock movies are now full-length films. One is Machete, and now this one. It is a very simple story. It is about Hobo (Rutger Hauer, Blade Runner) who gets off a train to find he's in a lawless and lustful city. He has to clean it up with what else? A shotgun!!! Movie is short on plot and characterization, but it is loaded with action and mindless, bloody violence!!!

Writers John Davies and Rob Cotterill wrote a gory cartoon movie. Director Jason Eisener, who made the fake trailer did a good job with it as an 87-minute movie. David Brunt, the original Hobo from the trailer, is in the movie as well playing a corrupt cop. This film, believe it or not, was shown at Sundance and other “classy” independent festivals. You can see the movie on VOD-Video On Demand, but it is $10.00 for 2 days before it comes to limited theaters May 6.

SOURCE CODE
ACTION/SCI-FI

This movie is too clever for your typical movie fan for it has action, real science fiction, intelligence and good acting. The story is about Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal, Prince of Persia) who is in a special time travel science program where he has 8 minutes to find out who the bomber of a train is, and he has to repeat this nightmare until he finds out who commits the crime. There is more to it, and it is great. It is not for everyone--not for my action hounds.

The acting is just great--besides Gyllenhall, from Vera Farmiga (Up In the Air) and Jeffrey Wright(Shaft). One flaw is that the villain is a wimp (Michael Arden, as Derek Forest). The director is Duncan Jones (David Bowie’s son) who also did Moon. So many people who saw it loved it, but it is not for your typical movie fan either. If you like Inception you will enjoy this--if not, please don’t go!!!

ADJUSTMENT BUREAU
ROMANCE/SCI-FI

My brother asks me didn’t this film come and go? Well watching it now, I know why. It is a weird hybrid of romance and science fiction. It is a short story written by Phillip Dick, who did Blade Runner, Minority Report and Total Recall. The question epxplored is, is there such a thing as Fate, or are we manipulated into things? David Norris (Matt Damon, Bourne movie series) wants to become Senator, and he is winning until a scandal happens.

Then he meets the love of his life, Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt, Wolfman), but there are men called The Adjustment Bureau who keep them apart. David does have an ally named Harry Mitchell (Anthony Mackie, Hurt Locker) but it gets rough. This movie is not for everyone but the acting is amazing!!! It should be a series but not on Network TV, better if it's put on cable for it is so odd!!! If you want something different here it is!!!

Girl Fantasies Lack Punch

SUCKER PUNCH
FANTASY/ADVENTURE

If you see this movie, read all the reviews good and bad, so you can understand what is going on!!! Story is not important here, but the ACTION is!!! The epic battles are simply AMAZING. Director Zack Snyder, who made sense of the graphic novel Watchmen, couldn’t do it for his own screenplay. His next project is Superman: Man of Steel. This movie didn’t do well at the box-office, which has many insiders worried that he will ruin Superman. No he won’t!! He said he will have more action than most Superman films and it’s not from his screenplay. If you’re into hot chicks who kick butt it is great, but if you want more from your movies, DO NOT GO!!! Wait for video or cable.

RED RIDING HOOD
ROMANCE/FANTASY/HORROR

This movie is a re-imagining of the fairy tale. The director is Catherine Hardwicke, who the first Twilight movie, so be prepared to be bored. The cast is very attractive and the medieval village is colorful and lush, but the film as a whole is dull mush. What is so surprising is that one of the producers of this movie is Leonardo DiCaprio. How did they get him to produce this? If you’re a young girl (12-17) you may like it, but for others it’s worth waiting on video.

Anger and Other Drugs

LIMITLESS
SCI-FANTASY/THRILLER

Would you take an illegal drug that would make you smarter, stronger or almost superhuman, but you must take every day or you will die? That is what this movie is about. Edward Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a writer looking terrible and has writer’s block. His ex brother-in-law Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) gives him a sample of the potent drug. He changes literally overnight into a playboy and brilliant businessman. Everything is great until he runs out.

The movie is rated PG-13 but it doesn’t feel like it. It seems like an R. Shia LaBouf was supposed to play this role but he had an accident-–thank God--and Bradley Cooper took over. He was in the A-Team as “Face.” He is attractive but he is creepy too. He seems to still be taking the drug to me. He could have had come up with cures for many diseases while on the drug, but he becomes-–what else? A politician. It is an interesting movie that is for sure. Robert De Niro is in the movie too, but I don’t know why. He is too talented to be in something like this. It is a good movie if you like the premise, otherwise wait for video.

DRIVE ANGRY-3D
ACTION FANTASY

You gotta love B-movies to like this!!! It is a story about Milton (Nicholas Cage, Ghost Rider) who escapes from hell to save his granddaughter from a cult. Sounds simple, right? Well it is. There is lots of action and it is the old 3D which means they throw things at the screen unlike Avatar new 3D that surrounds you. The 3D doesn’t help but you pay more. The supporting cast is not bad. Amber Heard (Pineapple Express) is Piper, who joins Milton but she can kick ass all by herself. She should consider being a female action star.

William Fichtner (Armageddon)is The Accountant (I don’t know why they call him that he’s Satan’s assistant to catch Milton) This actor is very good and he is always in the most popular movies. Nicholas Cage is a very talented actor, so why is doing exploitation? Maybe he likes it, I don’t know but I think if he does a remake of The World’s Greatest Sinner, he would get his second Oscar. WARNING: The World’s Greatest Sinner is not a commercial film, it is independent. It is good and STRANGE!!! It is not for everyone. If you love grind house and action movies you will like this. It didn’t do well in theaters but when it hits Blu-ray, woo-hoo!!!

UNKNOWN
ACTION/THRILLER

When Liam Neeson does action movies he can do no wrong!!! He plays Dr. Martin Harris and he is missing some luggage and that’s when the trouble begins. He gets in a cab, he gets in an accident resulting in a coma then another man claims he is him!!! He doesn’t give up finding out who is trying to be him and why which leads to startling conclusions!! The movie is exciting and intelligent, but what keeps it together is Neeson who uses his brawn and brains to figure things out. If you like action thrillers this is very good. You do see what kind of happens near the end but what a ride!!! It was the number one movie in February and I know why.

The Aliens Have (Again) Landed

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES
SCIENCE FICTION/WAR/THRILLER

ACTION HOUNDS-SEE THIS MOVIE!!! The summer came early for my peeps. If you mix the beginning of Saving Private Ryan, Independence Day and a video game, you got this flick. I have never seen action like this!! It is a simple story--aliens come to take our water by any means necessary and they have torn down everything major city except LA. Sergeant Michael Nantz (Aaron Eckhart, Two-face in The Dark Knight) is about to retire and he is needed to help a group of soldiers, which include singer Ne-Yo and Michelle Rodriquez (Fast and Furious, Machete) when the invasion breaks out. It uses hand held cameras so you feel you’re in the movie!!! It is non-stop action.

“Quiet time” is less than ten minutes, if that, in a movie near two hours long!!! The Latino audience will enjoy this movie for they show them as brave people fighting to live; in fact they show most minorities in a good way. For the haters there is not much character development and you have to see the movie again to keep up what is going on, as soldiers are yelling for there are blow outs, shoot outs the entire time!!! If you like the director Jonathan Liebesman get ready: he will also do the sequel to Clash of the Titans 2!!!

I AM NUMBER FOUR
SCIENCE FICTION/THRILLER

The recent franchises are heading toward the end like Harry Potter, or Twilight, so Hollywood is scrambling for the next hot franchise, and this film has potential. It is based on a book by Pittacus Lore (real name James Frey) about a teenaged guy Four (Alex Pettyfer, Beastly) from planet Lorien trying not to be captured by the evil Mogadorians. He seeks to act human, tries to adjust to his new superpowers and find others like him. His guardian is Henri (Timothy Olyphant Hitman, Justified) is like a dad trying to guide him and protect him. You should read the book before watching the movie, but it could have easily been a graphic novel. It has a young cast and they are very good. It has an exciting ending and you want to see more of them. It is worth seeming both in the theater and Blu-Ray.