The Tale of Despereaux

M: We have been getting our fill of some pretty good animated movies lately. I loved the idea of the mice learning how to be scared, and I laughed at how Despereaux's bravery was so appalling to the other mice. But, as the story progressed, I got a little bored. The storyline wasn't great, and the lessons seemed a bit heavy. All in all, it is a decent show, very good looking, but not great. I struggle where to put this, for me, 2 means average, 2 1/2 above average, 3 means good, 3 1/2 great, and 4 is exceptional. This movie falls somewhere in between above average and good. I have seen a lot of cartoons lately that make this pale in comparison. So I think I will give it 2 1/2 stars.

V: I enjoyed the book, which won the Newberry Award. Although, I felt the end wrapped up a little too quickly. What I really loved about the book was the language. That's hard to translate to film -- which is where the narrator voiceover comes in. That almost always weakens a movie, because they just can't seem to resist stating the moral. People don't like to be told what they've already figured out. (And when they figure it out for themselves, it seems profound, egotistical as we are. When it's stated for us, it seems trite.) For example, I really was enjoying the movie Seabiscuit and then, at the very end, the voiceover came on and said something like, "Seabiscuit may think I healed him, but actually, it was him who healed me." Groan. So anyway, the voiceover weakened Despereaux. I think they filled out the resolution better than the book. My main complaint was that they didn't keep all the story lines tight enough, so that I began to wonder, are they ever going to say anything more about the princess? the rat? Otherwise, it was stylishly done, some good humor and good characters. I agree with M, yet again, 2 1/2 stars.

Bedtime Stories

V: It's been a little while since I've seen this, so the memory's a bit fuzzy. But here's a stab. Pretty cute show all in all. We watched it with our kids and it kept the 4 year-old's attention - at least after magic stuff started happening. We are always apprehensive of Rob Schneider's obligatory appearance in an Adam Sandler movie as he's bound to bring crudeness. Despite our cringing, he kept it PG. There was some funny stuff. It was worth a trip to the red box. 3 stars.

M: Ya, pretty good, all in all. This movie is not going to change your life, but it is nice enough. Worth checking out. 2 1/2 stars.

Bolt

M: I hadn't really heard a lot about this movie. We rented it for family movie night with the kids. At first, I was nervous, but with a twist in the first few minutes, the movie went from cheesy to engaging. The characters are likable, and there is some good humor. All in all, I liked it. 3 stars.

V: We did have some friends recommend this to us. After the initial "seriously?" we really thought it was fun. I particularly liked the hamsters pep talk which lets you know you can do anything "if.you're.awesome!" I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. I give this one 3 1/2 stars.

Hellboy II

M: V and I really enjoyed the first Hellboy (see our full movie review chart). I found it quirky, lovable, and fun, mixed in with some great action. So I have looked forward to seeing the sequel, even though it took a while to get around to it. Man, was I disappointed. This show lacked the things that made the original great. I didn't feel for the characters, even Hellboy himself was just not as engaging. At times the storyline was weak, it felt like it was pointed heavily toward readers of the comics. At other times it was just plain dumb. The romances were lame, and I wanted to punch the German robot man in his metal face, not good. The movie seemed to build toward sequels to come, but now, I am not sure I care if they do come. Very disappointed. 2 stars

V: I don't think I hated it as much as M did. It was very odd and disjointed, though. First movie was much better. 2 1/2 stars.

The Oscars

M. Okay, my rant. Last night we stayed up late and watched the Oscars. Once again, they showered awards on movies nobody has seen, wants to see, or would have ever heard of if the Academy had not nominated them. It seems to me, and this is just my opinion, that the Oscars are so far removed from reality, that they have lost all of their credibility as an award show. They appear to be based strictly on politics and campaigning. What they are not, is an award for the best movies or the best actors. I don't claim to have any expertise in video editing, sound mixing, or makeup, so I won't pick on those awards. But anyone can watch a movie and know if it is good. Why then, year after year, are all the awards given to movies that nobody cares about. We haven't seen them, and if we have, we certainly don't want them in our movie collection.

I, like everyone, have gotten used to the awards going to movies portraying the most "raw" and "real" depiction of some politically hot issue. But, when a movie and actress are nominated and awarded for the portrayal of a woman's affair with a fourteen-year-old boy (I think the current term is pedophile), I have to conclude that they have gone too far. I am not saying that the awards should go to whatever movie makes the most money, or has the most explosions. I am just saying that we deserve an award ceremony for the best movies. Right now, we don't have it.

Coraline

M: Where to start. We were excited to see this, and went out to a late showing on Valentine's day. (Can you say "Romance.") Steve Salles, who we usually agree with, gave the movie 4 stars. And we loved Nightmare Before Christmas (same director), so we had fairly high expectations. As it turns out, this was the creepiest movie I have ever seen. It was well done, and beautiful at times, but absolutely creeped me out. Do not, I repeat, do not, take your kids to this movie, unless you want them to have nightmares about the evil versions of their parents taking out their children's eyeballs and sewing buttons in their place. I am giving this a bonus for looking good, otherwise my review would be lower. 2 1/2 stars.

V: Yeah, I was a little bummed about this one. It was really super well done. But, man! I had heard it described as creepy. It was downright scary. There was little to lighten it up or provide comic relief. Could have been really good, but I think it just stayed too dark and frightening. I saw it described as "horror fantasy." Keep that in mind, and like M said, don't take your kids! There was one scene with a They Might Be Giants song - fans will notice it right off. I guess they (TMBG) were going to do a lot more music for the film, but as it turned more and more creepy, TMBG had to be left behind. I think it would have been better --could have infused some dark humor. As it was, it was just dark. So, on the positive side . . . If you think of it as a Halloween film (as it definitely should have been marketed as such and released then!!) and you're looking forward to being scared - then by all means, go see Coraline. Again, it is really beautifully done, and the 3D was cool, very realistic. So, in the genre of horror flicks, I give this 3 stars.

Eagle Eye

M: Buckle your seat-belts and suspend your disbelief. This show is action-packed. An unknown entity displaying unbelievable powers over people and things compels our two main characters to do its bidding. I was disappointed when I found out who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. 2 1/2 stars

V: Yeah, this show was entertaining if you like a lot of action and car crashes. It was an interesting premise in the Big Brother is Watching You vein. But added to the scare of what might realistically happen in our modern world was this kinda sci-fi villain, which discredited the reality/realistic part. It reminded me of I-Robot, which I really liked, and which (rightly so) just stuck with the sci-fi thing. 2 stars.