Bee Movie

Wilsford's Review

Thumb: Up

Notable Characters:
Jerry Seinfeld – Barry B. Benson
Renee Zellweger – Vanessa Bloome

Plot (contains spoilers): Barry B. Benson just graduated from college and is ready to enter the workforce. Unfortunately Barry didn’t realize that the job he picks is going to be his job for the rest of his life. Beefore he chooses, he decides to take a ride with the pollen jocks (the bees that are responsible for pollination and the extraction of nectar for their honey). While flying around it starts to rain and since bees can’t fly in the rain, Barry seeks shelter in a nearby apartment. Beeing the unwanted guest that he is, one of the residents tries to kill him. In swoops Vanessa to save the day. Grateful for saving his life, Barry breaks bee law and talks to a human. After the initial weirdness, Barry and Vanessa become friends. On one of their shopping trips, Barry learns that the humans are enslaving millions of bees and stealing their honey and Barry then takes the humans to court. After the trial, the court rules in favor of the bees and mandates that the humans give back all the honey. Since now the bees have more honey than they know what to do with, they stop working. This sets off a chain of events that leads to the death of virtually all plant life which destroys the whole food chain and will eventually lead to the destruction of the world. Fortunately the Rose bowl is going on and it has collected the last surviving flowers in the world. Barry and Vanessa fly out to California and steal a Rose Bowl float. They bring the flowers back to New York, via Bee Power, and restore order to the world.

Reason why I didn’t like it:
· Corny, but then what should I expect from a kid’s movie.

Reasons why I liked it:
· Hilarious. I laughed a lot more than what I expected. If you enjoy Seinfeld’s unique brand of humor, I think you will really enjoy this movie. I should say that I haven’t seen Ratatouille. The only reason I mention that is because every time I say this movie was funny people always say, “Well it’s no Ratatouille”.
· As usual, Dreamworks produces a well animated movie.
· It was funny.

Final Note: Again I haven’t seen Ratatouille, so until then I am going to rate this movie as the best animated movie of the year.

Young's Review

Jerry Seinfeld is one the most successful comedians of his generation. Between his hugely popular 90's sitcom and his sold-out stand up tours, he has made himself into a household name. So when he attaches his name to an animated feature film, viewers will be sure to follow.

'Bee Movie', which Seinfeld helped write and produce in addition to voicing the lead character, is a worthy effort. I give it a 'thumbs up'.

Seinfeld is Barry B. Benson, a bee who longs for life outside the hive. On the day of his college graduation, he talks his way into joining the "Pollen Jocks", the group that leaves the hive daily to pollinate flowers and gather pollen to make more honey. After a series of wild adventures in the real world, Barry finds himself in the home of Vanessa (Renee Zellweger). Vanessa saves Barry from certain death at the hands of her boyfriend Ken (Patrick Warburton).

After Vanessa gets over her shock that she can actually hear Barry thanking her, the pair strike up a friendship. On a trip to the grocery store, Barry discovers a shelf full of honey. Stunned that all the work he and his fellow bees are doing is being exploited for human gain, Barry begins a journey to free all bees from a life of honey producing bondage.

The cast in this film is very good. Seinfeld is funny as Barry and Zellweger makes a charming Vanessa. The highlight of the movie is an appearance by Chris Rock as Mooseblood, a roaming mosquito. Rock has the prototypical cartoon voice and he produces multiple laugh out loud moments in his brief time on screen. Also noteworthy for a funny performance is John Goodman as prosecuting attorney Layton T. Montgomery. Cameos are abundant, including Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, Ray Liotta and (appropriately in a film about bees) Sting.

The first third of the film drags a bit and is short on big laughs. It picks up considerably from there. The animation is amazing, as is the case in all Dreamworks Studios productions. I have heard and read a lot of negative reviews of this film. It's comparison to 'Ratatouille', one of the year's best films overall and one of the best animated movies of all time, is not a fair one. Just because 'Bee Movie' is flawed doesn't make it any less entertaining. I enjoyed it, and more importantly for Dreamworks, so did my friend's second grader who saw it with us. I recommend it to kids of all ages.

American Gangster

Wilsford's Review
Thumb: Down

Notable Characters:
Denzel Washington – Frank Lucas
Russell Crowe – Richie Roberts

Plot (contains spoilers): Up and coming premier gangster of New York, Frank Lucas, finds himself in position to use the values of capitalism to his advantage. Those values being selling a product that the people want at a price that is better than the competition, the product in this case is heroin. Lucas is able to achieve this by buying directly from the heroin source and transporting the drugs through military transport. Richie Roberts, an honest cop that no one wants to work with, gets assigned to a special drug task force. One night out scouting potential suspects, he notices Lucas sitting in better seats than the New York mob boss. This sends Roberts and his team down the trail of discovering who Frank Lucas really is. At the end of the Vietnam war, Lucas sees that his operation is in jeopardy and so he places a large order and conceives to smuggle in the drugs through the caskets of dead soldiers. Roberts and company follow the drugs to the place where they are packaged and distributed and capture all the bad guys in a multi-floor shootout in the projects. With a massive amount of evidence that would put Lucas away for the rest of his life, he agrees to a deal, proposed by Roberts, to turn in dirty cops. In the end, due to Frank Lucas’s information, 75% of New York’s drug enforcement officers are arrested and Frank spends the next 15 years in prison.

Reasons why I didn’t like it:
· It was slow and long. Usually long movies don’t bother me because I feel that I am getting more for my money. However, when a long movie isn’t good or in this case is slow, the length really stands out.
· Russell Crowe. I have had a real up-and-down relationship with Russell Crowe. As of late it has been on the up swing but he was a let down in this movie. Let me make it clear, he wasn’t bad. He was good, I just was expecting more.
· The story itself seemed choppy. I don’t know how to explain it except through an analogy. Say you found a recipe for making chocolate chip cookies that involved 10 steps. Unfortunately this recipe only showed 7 steps. While the recipe is incomplete, you could still figure it out and make the cookies and thus the outcome will be the same. It is just that it would have been easier to follow if it included all the steps.

Reason why I liked it:
· Denzel Washington is awesome. I loved him in this movie from the opening scene. When he set the guy on fire and shot him, while that is gruesome, they way he portrayed himself really set the tone that Frank Lucas is an evil man.

Final Notes: This movie isn’t awful. It is long and there are some scenes that are unnecessary, but the general story is interesting. However, I would just wait for video.

Young’s Review
Two of Hollywood’s top heavyweights face off in ‘American Gangster’. The sport of boxing, which is struggling mightily to attract viewers, can only dream of having such a scenario.

This film is memorable for the performances its stars turn in, and this is the main reason I am giving it a 'thumbs up'. Denzel Washington plays Frank Lucas, a 1970’s crime boss in Harlem that thrives in the illegal drug trade. Russell Crowe is Richie Roberts, the cop bent on stopping him. Lucas is the head of a crime syndicate that specializes in selling the purest heroine on the street for half the price. Roberts is trying to make a small difference in the drug epidemic in New York City, but all the corruption in the local police department makes it difficult. When his boss suggests he head up a drug task force designed to take down the major distributors, Roberts jumps at the chance.

The boxing analogy is fitting because Roberts discovers Lucas on a stakeout at an Ali-Frazier fight. Roberts notices that Lucas is in a prime seat for the fight and wonders how he got there. The forthcoming investigation uncovers just how deep Lucas is in the drug selling game.

The film is a brilliant juxtaposition of right and wrong. Lucas is ruthless with anyone that gets in his way, including his own family. The opening scene sets the tone for the character, as Lucas douses a man with gasoline, lights him on fire, pulls out a gun and unloads a round of bullets. Roberts, in contrast, finds nearly a million dollars in unmarked bills in a suspect's car and turns it in as evidence. This move is even more noble when contrasted with the rampant corruption surounding him at work.

Washington gives one of his best performances in an already illustrious career. In his hands, Lucas is both ruthless and calculated. Crowe, the master of unlimited accents, doesn't wilt in the presence of Washington. His performance is memorable for bringing out the desperation Roberts feels to stay in control of some part of his life as his marriage crumbles.

A scene towards the end featuring Lucas and Roberts together in an interrogation room is classic filmmaking. Scenes like this are why Washington and Crowe make the big bucks. They play off each other so well, each not backing down from the other. It makes you regret that this is the only scene they share. The connection the two created while making 1995's 'Virtuosity' is clearly on display here.

While the two lead actors shine, they are not the only positives. Ridley Scott adds to the long list of quality films he has directed (such as 'Gladiator' and 'Thelma and Louise'). Scott moves the story foward in a logical, if deliberate, pace and gets top-notch performances from the entire cast. Josh Brolin is dynamite as a crooked cop. Armand Assante plays a typical Italian mobster, Dominic Cattano, and does it well. Cuba Gooding Jr. also makes a memorable appearance as club owner Nicky Barnes.

This film recalls legendary mob movies such as 'The Godfather' and 'Goodfellas'. While it is not the film those classics were, it is still a must see. This is the second film of the year (along with 'Eastern Promises') that belongs on any 'Best Mafia Movies' list. I strongly recommend it to fans of the genre.

Martian Child

Wilsford's Review
Thumb: Up

Notable Characters:
John Cusack – David
Bobby Coleman – Dennis
Amanda Peet - Harlee

Plot (contains spoilers): David, a famous and quirky fantasy writer, is coping with the loss of his wife. In his journey to cope, he decides to adopt a child. While hanging out in an orphanage, David finds Dennis, a child who believes that he is from mars. Despite the skeptics that are in charge, the adoption goes through and David and Dennis begin their difficult and awkward journey to come to terms with their lives. In the end David is finally able to let go of the memory of his late wife and love someone else and Dennis is finally able to accept that David isn’t abandoning him and be himself.

Reasons why I didn’t like it:

• Bobby Coleman played his part well but the kid was just too weird. I know he is supposed to be from mars but he was too weird/borderline creepy.
• Amanda Peet served her purpose but I thought that they left her storyline unfinished. Maybe that was the point but I was curious to see what was going to happen between David and Harlee.
  

Reason why I liked it:

• It was just a good movie. It had good characters played by good actors in a good story. It was funny, serious, emotional, and enjoyable.

Final Notes: While this was a movie that I typically wouldn’t choose to see, I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I imagine that this is a movie that any girl would love and if their significant other isn’t a “macho man”, this is a movie that both sexes would enjoy.

Young’s Review

The world can be a cruel place to kids with even the slightest hint of eccentricity. It can be even harder for children from another planet.

This proves to be true in ‘Martian Child’, a touching and funny story of acceptance and transformation that I am giving a ‘thumbs up’.Dennis (Bobby Coleman) is a lonely little boy. He has no friends in the foster care center where he lives and he spends most of his day hiding in a box. He also thinks he is from Mars. His world is rocked when a grieving widower and famous author named David (John Cusack) comes along and befriends him. Despite the objections of his sister Liz (played by John Cusack’s real-life sister Joan), David sets in motion a plan to adopt Dennis.

The relationship between Dennis and David is what makes this film worth watching. The precocious Coleman brings a necessary vulnerability to Dennis. A lesser actor would have caused the film to devolve into a schmaltzy mess. He makes you care about him while keeping you guessing as to whether or not he really is from outer space. Cusack is a versatile performer who rarely disappoints, and his portrayal of David is no exception. He keeps his emotions close to the surface, whether he is laughing about something Dennis did or quietly weeping about his wife’s death.

The rest of the cast, from Amanda Peet as David’s friend Harlee to the social worker Sophie (Sophie Okonedo), is lost in the shuffle. Anjelica Huston, Oliver Platt, and Richard Schiff also appear as David’s publisher, agent and child welfare contact, respectively. Joan Cusack, a fine character actress, does not have much to work in the script but makes the most of her screen time nonetheless. Peet's performance is likable, but like James I felt that her relationship with David was not explored enough.

The film does have its sappy moments, as you would expect. Director Menno Meyjes never lets the sentimentality run rampant, though, mixing in enough light moments to prevent it. The story, which was adapted from David Gerrold’s novel of the same name, makes an important point about accepting people for who they are. All Dennis is looking for is someone to love him just the way he is. After viewing this film, I am guessing viewers will have no problem doing just that.