Machete Trailer

I've loved Danny Trejo for years and now he doesn't just get to play a Mexican thug, he gets to play a Mexican thug with a heart. Guarenteed over the top action from Robert Rodriguez, in the tradition of El Mariachi and Desperado.

Despicable Me – Pixar and Dreamworks Have Competition

Photo by Photo Credit: Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment – © Copyright:2010 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Grade: A (Go see it)

Starring (Voice Talent): Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Miranda Cosgrove

Directed by: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renauld

Rated: PG for rude humor and mild action

Kids-in-mind.com ratings (each out of 10): Sex & Nudity-2, Violence & Gore-3, Profanity-2.

Run Time: 95 minutes

Distributed by: Universal Pictures

Bring the Kids?: Absolutely

Pixar and Dreamworks may finally have some new competition in the computer animated family comedies. Since 1998, these two companies have been rivals to produce entertaining movies and have been very successful in doing so. Universal Pictures, with two talented by novice directors (Pierre Coffin and Chris Renauld), enters the field with a movie as excellent as any Pixar or Dreamworks film. Despicable is a first effort from both a studio and these directors that is true and hits the mark. Despicable Me is a funny, thoughtful movie that is entertaining and brings something new to the table.

Gru seems like a lost member of the Addams family, dressed in odd clothes that vary shades of grey and black, with enormous eyes in a hawk-like face complete with elongated nose that make you wonder if he is Uncle Fester’s long lost son. He certainly has similar proclivities. Steve Carell (Date Night) provides the nasal, accented voice for bumbling villain that doesn’t always seem to be all there; not since Robin Williams played the genie in Disney’s Aladdin has there been such a good pairing of voice and character. Gru is given life by Steve Carell’s portrayal, a character that is unique and likeable, despite his despicable demeanor. At the beginning of the film Gru is truly despicable, making children cry and immobilizing people in line so he can cut in, and we get to see his supervillain world. Gru lives in a large, dark parody of the sub-urban homes around him, drives a car that seems more like a battleship with a jet engine attached, and has a basement complex filled with weapons, labs, and scores of little minions.

Before we go on, it must be said that the minions are worth the price of admission alone. An entire community of yellow, pill-shaped creatures who speak their own gobblety-gook that is almost, but now quite, understandable. Every moment these creatures, with names like “Dave”, “Jerry”, and “Tim”, are on the screen is like watching a funny, inspired movie you might catch on Youtube. The minions are funny, adorable, and a bit infectious. They love Gru like a rock star, and their enthusiasm and chronic misadventures are hilarious. We hope for years of animated shorts featuring the antics of these yellow clowns. They form the basis of Gru’s home life, which includes a lab accident as a dog, a nagging mother (Julie Andrews, Shrek Forever After), and a partner-in-crime, the aged Dr. Lothario (played against type by Russell Brand, Get Him to the Greek.)

Despite the love his minions have for him and the brilliance of Dr. Lothario, Gru is not terribly successful as a supervillain, but plans to commit his greatest heist yet when someone else steals a world famous landmark. Gru approaches the Bank of Evil (formerly Lehman Brothers) to finance his scheme to steal the moon. In order for this scheme to work, Gru must first steal a shrink ray. His heist is interrupted by rival supervillain Vector (Jason Segel, I Love You Man) who takes the shrink ray and Gru’s chances at completing his moon heist. In order to retrieve it, Gru adopts three orphan girls who sell cookies for the sole purpose of sending in robots disguised as cookies to gain entrance to Vector’s vault.

Immediately upon allowing these girls, Margo (Miranda Cosgrove, iCarly), Edith, and Agnes into his home Gru’s life begins to change as he grows more and more attached to his three young charges. This transition is difficult, at first Gru is clueless about children. He puts down a bowl of food for them, and makes their beds out of old munitions. The girls manage to invade and infringe upon every aspect of his life, happily distracting Gru from his plans. For the first time ever, Gru has something in his life other than outlandish criminal schemes to care about. It is a character transition that manages to be touching but never gets too sentimental. The three girls are all guaranteed to remind you of some little girl you know between the three of them, but are not given any backstory other than being orphans who are treated poorly at their orphanage. They are cute, adorable, and fun to watch, but the girls are not given much depth for main characters. Hopefully, the inevitable sequel will rectify this.

Gru’s ambitions to steal the moon are in conflict with his caretaking of the orphan girls. Doctor Lothario pressures him to choose between fulfilling his childhood dream of going to the moon (and stealing it) and being a parent to three loving children. The conflict divides Gru, who finally has meaning in his life. His actions, and final confrontation with Vector, bring the film to a satisfying conclusion which manages a couple of surprises.

Universal has arrived on the animation scene with a solid and enjoyable movie. Neophyte directors Coffin and Renauld should be proud of their effort, a non-Pixar, non-Dreamworks picture that is worth ticket price. After years of third rate efforts by second rate movie studios there is finally an excellent computer animated movie that is fulfilling. Hopefully Universal has plans for more films of the same caliber.

Green Hornet Trailer

Seth Rogan wrote the script for this curious looking action movie. He looks like he has been spending serious time with a personal trainer. I get a general Hong Kong martial arts/Batman/buddy-cop-movie-with-the-buddies-not-actually-being-cops kind of vibe off this trailer, let's hope it's good.

Karate Kid: What a Remake Should Be

Photo by Jasin Boland – © 2009 Columbia TriStar Marketing Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The Karate Kid

Grade: B+ (Worth seeing in the theater)

Starring: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson, Han Wen Wen, Zhenwei Wang

Directed by: Harald Zwart

Distributed by Columbia Pictures, 140 minutes running time

The original Karate Kid was a true sleeper, a Cinderella movie that managed to speak to virtually everyone in 1984, the year it premiered. Ralph Macchio was believable as Daniel Larusso, a bullied kid learning karate from his apartment’s handyman, Mr. Miyagi, an old master played masterfully by Pat Morita. The movie touched a chord with many and became a cultural event of the 80s. We identified with the bullied Daniel, the humble Mr. Miyagi, and loved to hate the terrible Cobra Kai school and their arrogant bullying. The sequel was acceptable, giving far more depth to Mr. Miyagi, the character that was the most interesting in the series. Over 15 years later, we have a modern remake of the movie.

A remake that is everything a remake should be. Instead of taking the original script and simply giving us modern casting and photography with few other changes, 2010’s Karate Kid breaks down the storyline into essentials and takes the elements that worked best in both the original movie and the sequel and brings it together to give us a new story with new characters that is still recognizable, but very different from the original. This is not a shot by shot remake, but a new movie built on the chassis of the older one.

In this film, 12 year old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith, The Day the Earth Stood Still) moves with his widowed mother (Taraji. P. Henson, Date Night) to China for her work. There he meets both the handyman, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan, The Spy Next Door) and a beautiful young Chinese girl named Mei Ying (Han Wen Wen). Talking with Mei Ying earns him a jealous beating by bully Cheng (Zhenwei Wang .) Cheng and his group of thugs continue to harass and assault Dre, and then six of them finally get him in an alleyway, Mr. Han intercedes with a brilliantly choreographed scene that is Jackie Chan’s trademark. Without throwing a single punch or kick, he manages to use the bullies’ attacks against each other until they stop.

When Mr. Han and Dre go to speak with Cheng’s brutal Kung Fu teacher to settle the matter, they are instead met with a direct challenge. Mr. Han and the other teacher agree to have Dre fight in a tournament that Mr. Han will prepare him for. Han teaches Dre using unconventional methods, in stark contrast to the formal school the Cheng learns in. During this time Dre develops a relationship with Mei Ying, a violinist who is a hopeful for the Beijing Academy of Music. Mei Ying and Dre form a special friendship, and Dre swears to be at her big audition while she swears to be at his tournament. Dre and Mr. Han travel to his village, and take a long hike up an ancient set of stairs to the Dragon Fountain, where Dre witnesses a woman (played by martial arts movie master Michelle Yeoh) who can use Kung Fu to control a cobra. Finally, we come to the big tournament, where Dre climbs the rankings until his final confrontation with the merciless and aggressive Cheng plays out on the mats.

There are a number of things to like about this picture. The photography and direction are terrific, the movie never seems to lag and gives one shot after another of interesting sights and sounds. Shot in China this movie makes every effort to show modern China, from the crowded streets, the laundry-covered rooftops, to the ancient village of Han’s birth. You feel completely immersed in a foreign environment that never feels fake or stereotyped. Jackie Chan plays against type, instead of his usual funny, nice guy roles he is a haunted man with a past here. He is adequate in this role and completely believable as a teacher of Kung Fu. Jaden Smith is to be complemented on his dedication; he has clearly trained for months for this role and executes every martial arts scene perfectly and believably. Like Chan, his acting is adequate but not remarkable; in particular you can almost hear the coaching he must have received from his father. Smith’s performance is more of a good imitation of his famous father and less about making his character relatable. Taraji P. Henson, as Dre’s mother, is the strongest actress in the group and is completely compelling and believable and does not have enough time on the screen.

For a remake there are many surprises throughout. Dre’s romantic interest is not just a pretty face, but a talented musician who must juggle her parent’s expectations with her newfound friend from America. Mr. Han mysteriously builds a car in his living room, which turns into the movie’s most emotional scene when you find out why. Even the end, which follows the original movie more than the rest, has an ending that seems better and more satisfactory.

Despite on only fair acting job by the movie’s two principal actors, this is a movie worth seeing. Whether you were a fan of the first film or if this is your first Karate Kid, the movie is enjoyable with many memorable scenes. It is well-written, directed well, looks fantastic, and the kung fu is brilliant. Definitely a feel good movie that relates to both adults and children alike.