In Review: "Monsters University"

In Review: "Monsters University"

The classic pitfall for any movie franchise is the sequel/prequel. Nothing can every out do what was originally done. Please, if you know of any sequel/prequel that outshines its original, tell me. I really can't think of one.

"Monsters University" does what I think a prequel should do. It pays homage to the original without outshining it and giving us more of what we loved from the original. "Monsters Inc." (2001) had spectacular characters, as Disney has become known for. The idea was creative and innovative, yet something that everyone could relate to. We all thought we had monsters in our closets at some point in our lives, but what do those monsters do when they're not scaring us?

The Plot

James P. Sullivan aka Sulley (John Goodman) and Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) were the best scarers at Monster Inc. in our last movie. Now we are going back to the greatest four years of their lives, college. Mike and Sulley had to learn how to become scarers.

Before Mike ever knew Sulley, Mike wanted to be the best scarer ever. One day when he was little, he went to Monsters Inc. on a field trip. One of the scarers told him Monsters University was the best scaring school. That day getting into MU became Mike's dream. When he did, he never expected Sulley, the lazy, famous-father-having bully to come along. The two did not get along at first. But we all know they end up becoming the best of friends.

This movie includes the normal crazy college happenings, in a G rated way. No drunken parties to worry about exposing the kids to.

The Cast

(This is Dean Hardscrabble)

Our original furry friend and one-eyed buddy are back with the same great duo. But mostly, that's all the returning talent. There are tons of new characters though, including Helen Mirren as Dean Hardscrabble. There were moments I was so convinced it wasn't her. Helen Mirren could never be a scary monster. But she is... Charlie Day, Sean Hayes, and a returning Disney-goer Dave Foley also lend their voices to the film. Foley played Flik in "A Bug's Life" (1998).

The Message

College is a time to discover yourself. Discover your passion, your true friends, and who you really are. This heartfelt movie is about being yourself no matter what anyone else tells you. It's a great message for anyone- no matter if you are entering the wonderful world of college, saying goodbye to it, or hanging on in the real world. 

In this world, we have forgotten to dream with our whole hearts. This movie gives us a little reminder that no matter how rough things get and no matter how many times someone says you can't do something, you just gotta keep trying and dream big.

Overall

This movie was very cute. It did a good job referencing the original material and making something new. But it could not outshine the original. I liked the film, but wasn't in love with it. There was a lack of a real villain which always causes plot problems. Although this film was creative, I don't think it was able to bring anything significantly new to the Monsters Inc. world. It was only referencing the old stuff.

2.5 Out of 4 Screams

(These are scream canisters. They hold children's screams that power all of Monstropolis)

In Review: "Man of Steel"

In Review: "Man of Steel"

I'm telling you Superman movies are cursed. Yes, cursed. They do not do well in the box office ever. And look at Christopher Reeves! Cursed!

In my personal opinion, it is because Superman is a hard character to sell because the human race cannot and never will relate to him. He is perfection personified. He is the god among men. He is the golden knight. He is Superman.

And we, as humans, can never ever be Superman. No matter how many red bed sheets we tie to our backs. No matter how many times we ride the roller coaster dedicated to him. I'm sorry, but we cannot be Superman. So how do you sell a movie that the audience cannot relate to?

You don't!

Here, in "Man of Steel", is the solution to the Superman movie problem. (It also shows by how much money this movie got in its first weekend open- $113 Million (a June record- it beat out Toy Story 3 in 2010 with its $110.3 Million)

The Plot

This is the pre-Superman. We find out that our hero's father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), wants to save his dying planet Krypton. The core of the planet is exploding because they used all their natural resources *cough America cough*. Jor-El is begging the high council people to start inhabiting other planets. He thinks Earth is the best candidate to save their race.

In comes General Zod (Michael Shannon) who is all for saving their race but not cool with the whole living with humans thing. Jor-El tells him that his son, named Kal-El by his parents, is the first natural born child in centuries. He wants to encode his son with "the codex" which is like the DNA of all the Kryptonians. Kal-El is sent in a spaceship to Earth and Zod says he will find him one day. Of course he says this as he is captured and imprisoned in a black hole.

Then we meet Clark Kent- raised by a farmer and his wife, picked on a lot as a kid, and told by his stepfather not to reveal his powers because the world wasn't ready for him. The kid grows up and longs to find his true identity, which he knows is not of this world.

The story is about how Clark Kent/Kal-El becomes Superman, how he meets Lois Lane, how he gets a job at the Daily Planet, what happens with General Zod, and all that jazz.

The Cast

Henry Cavill... I don't know if I have words for you. Not only was I blown away by your incredible and unbelievably real physique, your acting gave me chills. The difference between this movie and any other Superman movie is the focus on Superman's humanity and vulnerability. But we all know, he still has to save the world. Cavill was able to give us both- the hero who could save the day without breaking a sweat and the alien who could never fit in to the place he called home. (As a side note, Cavill played the Count of Monte Cristo's son in the 2002 version. He was even good then!)

Amy Adams also played a different kind of Lois Lane. This reporter was ready to walk into danger and face challenges, not just for her career but for humanity. She was still a little bit of a damsel in distress, but who wouldn't be. These are aliens that are all like Superman. No one could battle that!

Kevin Costner shows up as Jonathan Kent and I really liked his portal. There were times I was mad at him for holding his son back from his true power, but there were also times he helped me to understand. There were times I saw his loving nature.

The Message

One of these things is not like the other. This Superman movie is nothing like the 2000s version, the 80s version, the TV show. I have never seen a Superman like this. And I love it. This Superman speaks to the generation of outcasts and underdogs. Try finding a movie in theaters not about the underdog overcoming all odds. This generation of people do not know what it is like to have everything. We have lived through depression-like economies, massive job losses. During this time in history, we don't need someone who can do it all. We need someone to tell us that we can make it through the hard times. We need someone to tell us that we are perfect just the way we are. This Superman does just that.

Kal-El is an alien and he is rejected his whole life from the human race for it. And he will never be human, but his humanity, his vulnerability, his rejection from society is always present. He is not perfect and he knows it. But even though the human race doesn't accept him for who he is, he loves them anyway and will fight to save Earth, the place he calls home.

Overall

The only negative thing about this movie for me was the ending. It went on for a really long time. The final battle between Zod and Kal-El took what felt like decades. I also didn't really like the combat between any of the characters. It was always cloudy and I couldn't see the action. The action was also not very creative. These are super beings who can stop a speeding bullet. You think they could have had some cool fight scenes.

But I liked the villain, General Zod, and I loved Kal-El's character and the movie's message. Just needed better action scenes.

Please go see this movie. If you are like me and have not felt attached to Superman at all (I've always liked Batman a whole lot better), then give him a chance to show you how awesome of a superhero he is by watching this movie.

3 Out of 4 "S"s aka Kryptonian Hope Symbols

In Review: "Now You See Me"

In Review: "Now You See Me"

"Look closely, because the closer you think you are, the less you will actually see."

This quote from the film describes exactly what the movie does to you. It does just what a great magic show can do- shows you something and convinces you that you know what is going to happen, and then completely surprises you. Great magic is used for wonder and amazement, but always keeps you guessing. How did he do that? This movie does the same thing- not just with its visual magic and CGI spectacles but with its plot twists and surprises.

The Plot

Four struggling street magicians are called to an abandoned apartment in New York City. We have the hermit- Merritt McKinney (Woody Herrleson), a hypnotist and mind reader whose only job opportunity is exposing cheating husbands for cash; the high priestess- Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), a magician's assistant turned one-woman show complete with piranhas; the lover- J. Daniels Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), a magic card specialist and women charmer; and death- Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), a conman of all con men who uses his talent of bending spoons in front of tourists to scrape by. The four are brought together and call themselves, The Four Horsemen.

They become famous enough for Vegas with the help of their benefactor Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine). They perform a trick where it looks like they have robbed a bank and given the money to the audience. The FBI is all over that. Magic non-believer Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is put in charge of the case along with Interpol agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). Along the way they meet a professional magician-exposer Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman).

So did they rob the bank? What is this grand final trick they keep talking about? Will the police be able to expose the magic?

The Cast

There is a stellar cast here. Morgan Freeman in almost any movie is guaranteed to be a blockbuster. No one did a bad job acting. Let's face it, they are all legends. But there was really only one performance that stuck with me. 

I have not really liked Jesse Eisenberg until this movie. I hated, hated "The Social Network" (The Facebook Movie) where he played snotty, self-absorbed Mark Zuckerberg. "Zombieland" is hysterical but not because of his awkward character. I was starting to think he could only play socially awkward nerds. But in this movie, he blossomed into a hunky, charming, suave con man. And he could con me all he wanted. His witty banter between any one of the characters had me thoroughly entertained.

The Message

You know how when you are a kid and you still believe in all that magical stuff? The Easter Bunny? The Tooth Fairy? Magic? This movie takes you back to that time and tells you the magic isn't over when you grow up. It actually gets way cooler. This movie made me want to go to a magic show so bad.

Overall

This movie was very enjoyable. The message was clearly presented, the acting was great, the script was funny, and the plot was fantastically elaborate yet simple enough to follow when watching the first time. I just got a little bored in the middle. The thing about a magic show is they are always doing the next best trick so you have to try to figure out how that one was done and then the one after that. Until you are simply content to being amazed. Well, my brain doesn't work that way. I got very tired of waiting to see the next best thing and straining my brain to figure out how they did that trick.

But by the end of the movie, I didn't care. I was able to completely forget about the fact that I was once confused and a little frustrated by this film. The ending makes this movie.

3.5 out of 4 Magic Playing Cards

Audience Participation: Like I have mentioned, I have this blog because I like to talk about movies, and to talk to people about movies. So once you see this film (which I highly encourage you do), post your answer/comment to my question below. For those of you who haven't seen it, DON'T READ THE POSTS, SEE THE MOVIE FIRST:

Explain the meaning behind each of the four horsemen's playing cards and aliases from the beginning.

The First Time- "Warm Bodies" (2013)

The First Time- "Warm Bodies" (2013)

Fine. I admit it. I was a Twihard, a Twilight nerd, a die-hard Mrs. Edward Cullen, a maybe vampire. I began my journey as a Twihard through the movie franchise. I read the book, thought it was from the mouth of God, saw the movie, thought Edward Cullen/Robert Pattinson was God (and obviously he was a real vampire), and had a life-size cut out of Edward watching over me every night for years. When I was a junior in Biology class and we were studying the cell cycle, I wouldn't take my eyes off the door. Just maybe he would come for me. Just maybe he would be change me into a vampire and end my boring life existence.

I was crazy. I admit it.

Now I thankfully have thrown away my life size cut out (just this past weekend actually), took the Edward pillowcase off my pillow, and put away all the Twilight jewelry, hoodies, Tshirts (ok maybe not all of my shirts), posters, purses, notebooks, and facial glitter.

I cannot say that I am cured, but I can now watch the movies and read the books and pity my poor naive self.

When I first saw the trailer for "Warm Bodies" I laughed out loud. It was Twilight all over again. The girl falls for the undead guy who is actually not as dead as he seems. And I'm sorry Teresa Palmer but you need to do something to your hair or something because you look waaaay too much like Kristen Stewart. So I did not jump on the first zombie train to see this film. I had learned from my previous mistakes, and I wanted nothing to do with undead love anymore.

But I was curious... I was bored one night during finals week when I had too much procrastination to do and I watch it. And I loved it.

The Plot

The world has been overrun by zombies who were once humans. They somehow got the zombie disease and wander the earth eating the few people they can find. Meet R (Nicholas Hoult "X-Men: First Class"). R can't remember his name so he calls himself R. He is in a questioning state of his zombieness and wishes he could find more meaning in his life. Then he meets Julie (Teresa Palmer "Sorcerer's Apprentice") who is the daughter of the human rebellion general. R saves Julie from being eaten and he takes her to his hideout. The love grows between the odd couple and spreads to the other zombies, bringing them back to life.

The Cast

Nicholas Hoult is sooo cute! Ok, done. Fan girl moment over. He was such a great leading guy. I would have never expected him after being the Beast in "X-Men: First Class." He was barely visible under all the computer generation and his character was such a side character we didn't get to meet Hoult. 

Even though Teresa Palmer looks like Kristen Stewart, her acting chops are way better. She's done Disney's "Sorcerer's Apprentice", "I am Number Four", "Bedtime Stories".  She's a likable, relatable actress who can bring comedy to just about any part.

John Malkovich plays Palmer's father. He's still awesome :) And I don't think this comedy film tarnishes his big-time movie resume.

The Message

Love conquers all. Well, duh. And zombies are humans too! They are just not lucky enough to have pink, fleshy skin and all their limbs intact.

Overall

This movie has so much to love. It is hysterical. I laughed so hard throughout this movie. It also freaked me out a little. There are these evil zombies, called Bonies, who only want to eat and aren't conflicted about it. When I went to bed after watching this movie in my nearly empty dorm room, in my nearly empty dorm, I was a little nervous that skeleton zombies would eat my flesh. This movie also has an excellently witty script, ten times better than Twilight. The romance is heartwarming and adorable. The costars get along very well. But I wouldn't go saying that this is a romance movie. It's definitely more of a comedy with some zombie themes. Last semester, I took a class on food films and we able to watch "American Zombie" and read up on our zombie history. I think that zombie enthusiasts will appreciate the comedic take.

I recommend seeing this movie. You will be pleasantly surprised. Even if you happen to like Twilight.

3.5 out of 4 Beating Hearts