Kids Movie Review - Turbo

After a Panda, an Ogre, Dragons, Bees and a combination of Lion, Zebra, Hippo and Giraffe... what animal could Dreamworks possibly go for next.  Well, it's a snail.

Turbo sees garden variety snail, Theo (Ryan Reynolds) dreaming of racing in the Indy 500 much to the dismay of his brother Chet (Paul Giamatti).  Through a series of mishaps Theo finds himself sucked through the engine of a muscle car as nitrous oxide floods through, leaving him with many car like abilities, including super high speed.  A series of mishaps sees him and his brother captured for a snail racing promotion.  After the other snails see what he can do he gets renamed Turbo and the journey to fulfill his dreams begins.

First up Turbo is a movie that really says it all in the title, there are no secrets or surprise twists here.  This is a movie about a super fast snail.  It may not be the greatest premise (or movie) but it does have a few things going in it's favour.

Turbo himself isn't the strongest of lead characters, in fact many of the portrayals are pretty mediocre.  What saves this film from being run of the mill visual junk food is one stand out performance and the action.

Shining above everyone else is the snail Whiplash (imagine Samuel L. Jackson playing Samuel L. Jackson as a snail - which isn't too difficult considering he is played by Samuel L. Jackson!).  I lost it when a particular scene had him repeating a line in Pulp Fiction "Do I look like a b*tch?" style.  Come to think of it, from an acting perspective Whiplash is the only standout.

The movie itself moves along at a steady pace with occasional action helping to keep interest going, punctuated by some wonderfully utilised musical interludes from the likes of Tom Jones, through to House of Pain and Run DMC, and to the likes of Pharrell Williams and Snoop Dog (who also plays a one catch phrase repeating role).  It really just bides it time till the final third where the absolute ludicrous extended racing scene occurs.  You can't help but get excited and get drawn into it and this ultimately saves the movie.

The kids certainly enjoyed Turbo.  It was colourful and fast and had enough over the top sequences and a fair amount of slapstick to keep them amused.  My two both agreed the racing was the best part of the movie.

Ultimately I'd recommend saving this for a rainy afternoon rental or a cheap day at the movies.  It is a fun distraction but certainly doesn't come close to being amongst Dreamwork's best.

Alternate Title - Samuel L. Jackson in "Snails on a Race Track"

Maybe If Kids Tell Kids To Not Copy Then Kids Won't Copy... Sure!

The Content Industry Is Designing Anti-Piracy Lesson Plans For Kids - Gizmodo Australia

Yet again a wonderfully acronym named group that obviously and blatantly has nothing to do with any of the major copyright enforcers has decided to release an "educational" video about the dangers of copyright infringement.

The rather horrifically named "iKeepSafe" or the Internet Keep Safe Coalition (seriously, I mean... seriously) has produced a rather wonderful video aimed at sixth graders where everyday normal kids, whose parents are apparently successful songwriters and game programmers, very sincerely and earnestly talk about the importance of copyright.

I was going to embed the video for your convenience, but apparently copyright presents this important message about copyright being easily shared across the internet.  Wow.  It's at the link above.

Now this is not the first time something like this has been tried.  I have seen web comics, pamphlets, wonderfully creative statistics and lets not forget the unskippable anti-piracy warnings on every DVD/Blu-ray that is legitimately purchased!

Seriously though, why are they wasting their time.  The fact is that this will have practically no effect on piracy rates.  The fact is that research has shown that people who pirate are more likely to spend more money on music, movies and games.  The fact is that iKeepSafe is really throwing their money away, but not just for the reasons listed in this paragraph.

I'm sure they can get this guy pretty cheap...

He's gotta be down with the cool kids.

I will leave you with the following important message:

Kids Movie Review - Despicable Me 2

We finally got to see the latest installment in the Despicable Me series and, being big fans of the first one, the question is does Gru and co still have it, or do we have a new movie to despise?

Despicable Me 2 picks up with Gru (Steve Carell) retired from the bad guy business and ready to start his own business of producing jams and jellies.  But when a top secret research lab gets stolen (yes the entire lab) the Anti Villain League seeks Gru out to use his villainous expertise to assist in the capture of the mysterious perpetrator.

Okay, straight up, this movie is funny.  Sure it has it's flaws, and a couple of rehashed gags from the first movie, but it makes up for it with some fantastic sequences and quite a bit of heart that manages to avoid getting too sappy.  And of course, the minions.  At some points the movie seems as if it is going to be taken over by these strange little yellow creatures, and they certainly provide plenty of the laughs.  There is also the best use of a chicken, ever.

There are really only a few sections that miss the mark, although not by much, but the movie always has some new ridiculousness just around the corner, not to mention a handful of gags that are aimed squarely at the adults.

I can certainly recommend Despicable Me 2.  It is a very funny movie with great performances from the leads and some wonderfully animated sequences to back it up.  Go see it.

In a word - Minion-licous.

Kids Movie Review - The Croods

The Croods seems to have one main aim, to be a very big story about discovery, of places, of others and of the self.  The spectacular vistas and some very fast paced sequences definitely aim straight for the eyeball.  The question is can it take it further and fire up the brain cells?

The Croods are introduced as a family of cavemen, literally.  Their entire lives are based on hiding in a cave from the dangers outside, both real and imagined.  Of course there is one member of the family not entirely satisfied with this situation, the rebellious daughter, Eep (Emma Stone).  After an argument with her father, Grug (Nicolas Cage), Eep sneaks out of the cave one night after seeing a mysterious light and soon stumbles across Guy (Ryan Reynolds) and  his sloth sidekick, Belt.  Guy tells her that the world is ending and their only hope is to get to a distant mountain, and after their cave is destroyed the Croods have no choice but to make the journey.

This movie certainly has a lot of personality.  True it is only from a few of the characters but they certainly do enough to hold the movie and keep it going.  Notorious scene chewer Nicolas Cage is surprisingly low key throughout the film as the over cautious father desperate to keep his family safe and Ryan Reynolds only seems to hold interest as a character used to motivate the rest of the gang, if it wasn't for Belt (voiced by Chris Sanders) then Guy would have next to no personality.

This is a movie that has a selection of stand out scenes, and it needs them to keep the interest going.  While there are plenty of laughs to be had from several slapstick sequences there are sections that just don't seem to hold much interest.  Luckily they are fairly short and there is always something ridiculous or spectacular just around the corner.

All up I'd say The Croods is solid family entertainment.  It has the compulsory jokes aimed at the adults and plenty of laughs for the kids.  The scenery is spectacular and each character's journey ties in well with the rest.  The Croods is certainly worth a watch.

In a word - Da-da-daaaaa

Kids Movie Review - Escape From Planet Earth

It's always interesting (and a bit hit and miss) to check out animated movies made by an alternate studio.  Escape From Planet Earth is a Canadian effort and while it falls short of a Disney/Pixar classic it gets a hearty not bad.

Escape From Planet Earth sees brothers Scorch (Brendan Fraser) and Gary (Rob Corddry) Supernova as a rescue team from the planet Baab.  Scorch is the glory seeking (yet slightly inept) hero type while Gary runs support from mission control and, predictably, is all about taking care and staying out of harm's way.  When Scorch is sent on a rescue mission to "The Dark Planet" (Earth) and gets captured Gary steps up and sets out to rescue his brother.

From the outset this movie is enjoyable.  It's primarily slapstick humour works well and gives plenty of laughs.  The story is suitably outlandish and ridiculous and there is plenty of action to stop the younger kids from getting bored.  There are a few aspects thrown in that seem a bit mature for the level the movie seems to be pitched at, but nothing which should put parents off the movie.

Performances are fairly stereotypical, but workable, throughout the movie.  There are a couple of surprises along the way but most of the main plot turning points are well telegraphed.

But perhaps I should check with a specialist before commenting further:

J (9): "I'd tell my friends to watch it cos it's a bit funny"

Hmm, glowing praise indeed.

In summary, Escape From Planet Earth is harmless and enjoyable.  It certainly won't be a lasting classic but it is certainly good enough for a spare afternoon if nothing better presents itself.

In a word - SPAAAAACE

Kids Movie Review - Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

It was with some trepidation I sat down with the boys to watch Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.  Being the third in a series and only having seen the original, and not overly bad, movie.

The pre-title sequence section rolled and was entertaining enough to get me curious.  Then the opening credits started, full Bond style with Get This Party Started performed by Shirley Bassey.  Trust me, it is awesome.

The setup has hairless cat, Kitty Galore (Bette Midler) and her hench-cat, Paws (Phil LaMarr) stealing secrets from around the world.  Dog agents, Diggs (James Marsden) and Butch (Nick Nolte) are sent to foil Kitty's plans.  We get a flashback to what I assume was Cats & Dogs 2 showing how Kitty became hairless and why she wants revenge on Dogs and Humans alike.  We soon find out the Kitty's previous agency, MEOW, is also concerned so it is up to cats, represented by Catherine (Christina Apllegate), and dogs to band together to save the Human Race, with a little help from a Pigeon named Seamus (Katt Williams).

What follows is an enjoyable movie full of family friendly action and more than just a few themed sight gags, such as the vehicles used by the dogs to get to their headquarters have "Stay" instead of "Stop" on the controls.  There really isn't much more to say aside from Roger Moore making an "appearance" as the head of MEOW.

There are plenty of nods to James Bond and a fair few other movies (including Silence of the Lambs - I don't think the kids got that one).

There are certainly worse movies to watch on a potentially rainy afternoon.  With plenty of laughs for the kids and some decent gags for the grown ups Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore certainly is a decent family movie.

Again, I must defer to the experts for the final say.

J (9) - "It was funny and I like when *spoiler* (starts talking about the end of the movie"

M (5) - "I liked the movie. I don't have any favourite bits.  I liked the pigeon"

Case closed!

In a word - Meow!

Wreck-It Ralph Review

Disney's attempt at Toy Story for video games may not reach the heights it's aiming for but it certainly has heaps of heart. The title character Wreck-It Ralph (John C Reilly) plays the villain in Fix It Felix Jr, a 30 year old video game in a local arcade.

Ralph has had enough of being the bad guy and sets out to win a medal in a neighbouring game, Hero's Duty, to prove his bona fides and get acceptance from his fellow game characters.  When things don't go to plan he ends up stuck in another game forced to help the delightful Vanellope Von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) to get his medal back.

This is helped by game characters being able to travel between games via electrical plugs with the power board serving as a central area where they can all mix. The clever use of movie specific characters combined with those from established games such as Street Fighter and Pac-Man builds a versatile world full of colour and fun.

The way the characters interact, develop and grow throughout the movie is a mark of genius and ultimately build a movie that all the family can enjoy.

But don't just take my word for it, let's ask for a professional opinion:

M (5) "I like the funny bit with Vanellope.  I don't like the Cybugs.  They're not scary, Wreck-It Ralph isn't scary, I just don't like them"

So we all agree! Wreck-It Ralph is a great movie everyone can enjoy.

In a word - Retro-tastic.