Movies I've Seen Recently...
Kung Fu Panda (2008) A-
Watching the stylized 2D rendered animated sequence at the beginning of
the movie, I had a feeling that "Kung Fu Panda" was going to be so much
more than your typical CGI animated feature. From beginning to end, I
was absolutely entertained, and had lots of fun. The visuals were very
very good, the humor had me laughing a lot, the kung fu training and
action sequences were excellent, memorable characters, and the voice talent were perfect. The
only fault I see with this is that the story is pretty simple and
predictable, but the execution of the whole thing was still absolutely
outstanding. Also, besides some winking towards typical Kung Fu film cliches,
there were hardly any unnecessary pop-culture references in a story
that is a self-contained universe to itself. An instant classic in my
book.
You Don't Mess With The Zohan (2008) C+
Silly, stupid, unbelievable, stupid, amusing, oh and did I mention stupid? "You Don't Mess With The Zohan," is frankly a very broad comedy. It purposefully doesn't ground itself to any sort of realism, so expect scenes where the Zohan catches a flying bullet with his nostril, or him catching up to a speeding water boat by swimming like a dolphin, as some things that are meant to be seen as stupid funny. In actuality though, the movie is mostly stupid dumb. I've got to give the movie credit in that every scene is set up as a joke, as most comedies should try and do, but unfortunately I hardly laughed out loud at all throughout the near two hours of the film's runtime. The cast does a good enough job considering the material they are given, and Adam Sandler has brought to life another memorable character in his catalog of memorable characters. "...Zohan" is mostly a unique premise, and while not as funny as it thinks it really is, I was mostly amused and entertained to a certain degree. As cheesy as it was, I also appreciated the message the movie makes at the end.
Wristcutters : A Love Story (2007) C
What happens to you when you commit suicide? According to "Wristcutters : A Love Story," you end up in an alternate earth, containing the same exact things you'll find in the real earth; like jobs, laws, food, etc... Since it is a world full of people who killed themselves, things are just a bit more depressing, no smiling is allowed, and oddly enough weird things like levitating people and black hole portals trapped underneath the passenger seat of a beat up old car exists in this other earth. Interesting, quirky, and weird premise right? Yeah, that's true, but I found the whole thing a bit pretentious, slow, and boring. The cast are good for their roles, and the unique setting will keep you interested enough to see the story play out until the end. Overall, the movie itself could not sustain the weight of this ambitious premise.
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