Film: Minions: The Rise of Gru

 

GENRE: Animated Action
RATING: PG for cartoon violence and rude humour
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 27 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Steve Carell (The Office, Anchorman, Despicable Me)
Pierre Coffin (Despicable Me); Alan Arkin (Little Miss Sunshine)
DIRECTORS: Kyle Balda (Despicable Me 3), Brad Ableson (newcomer), Jonathan del Val (Secret Lives of Pets 2)
WRITER: Matthew Fogel (Lego Movie 2: The Second Part)
PLOT: The minions try and help Gru join a league of evil.    

FULL DISCLOSURE: I think the minions are adorable.    

STORY STUFF: While the Minion films are not as strong as their parent Despicable Me movies, I still enjoyed the story. I felt more engaged this time as opposed to the first Minions, I think it might have to do with more Gru. The main storyline around a zodiac amulet is pretty simple but they make it work. Great humour throughout.

ACTING STUFF: Great voice acting all around. Young Gru (Carell) and Wild Knuckles (Arkin) work well together. Of course, Coffin is amazing as the voice of every minion. I think I enjoy Bob the best.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Lots of great animation like always. Good use of songs. Don’t know what else to say   

VERDICT: Three and a half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like minions.
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Bullet Train

Film: Thor: Love and Thunder

 

GENRE: Action, Adventure
RATING: PG-13 for sci-fi violence, action, and suggestive nudity
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 58 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Chris Hemsworth (Avengers, Ghostbusters)
Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta); Christian Bale (The Dark Knight)
DIRECTOR: Taika Waititi (Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit)
WRITERS: Jennifer Kaytin Robinson (newcomer),
Waititi (What We Do in the Shadows, Jojo Rabbit)
PLOT: Thor, Valkyrie, Korg and a newly powerful Jane take on Gorr, the God Butcher.    

FULL DISCLOSURE: Thought the trailer gave away too much.    

STORY STUFF: Not my favourite Thor but at least it was better than Dark World (but that’s not a big feat). There are some fun scenes and good action sequences, but I wasn’t as crazy out there as Ragnarok.  Gorr’s motivation started okay but he was angry that gods are selfish – Thor is all about helping people, so it didn’t track for me. The Guardians of the Galaxy were barely a blip in the story. I enjoyed Thor’s weapons having a bit of personality like Dr. Strange’s cape. There is a Thor & Jane dating montage – when did that happen in the timeline?

ACTING STUFF: Hemsworth continues to play Thor well as he is clearly comfortable in the role. I liked Portman and Tessa Thompson working together. Korg was not as funny this time around. Bale is interesting but not amazing. I found Russel Crowe is disappointing as Zeus – just not my cup of tea. There are a bunch of fun cameos with drop-ins by previous characters. It seemed like a lot of fun on set.

ARTISTIC STUFF: I only expected one Guns & Roses song, but I enjoyed the multiple tracks. The goat yelling was okay but gets a tad repetitive. I was not a fan of Thor’s new outfit – the blue doesn’t work for me. I like the original one best.  

VERDICT: Three stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You’ve seen the other Thor films
UPCOMING REVIEW:  Bullet Train 

June TV Checklist

Here’s what I was watching this June:

OBI-WAN KENOBI (DISNEY+)
I’m glad they didn’t make this into a movie like originally planned. The series had a bunch of great moments, nice callbacks and interesting twists here and there. I liked young Leia most of the time. Ewan McGregor brings the right amount of gravitas. I also like the production value, it blends nicely with the rest of the franchise.

STRANGER THINGS (NETFLIX)
Maybe it’s because it has been awhile, but this season seems more creepy. The body manipulation is disturbing. I’m liking the main storyline but the three other plots are not working for me. The Russian stuff is just okay. The Eleven flashbacks give some interesting info but takes too long to get there. Mike, Will & Jonathan with the one-note Argyle are not given much. Liking Eddie and the rest of the gang figuring things out. Dustin & Steve are golden again. Also liking Max. I think I’ll enjoy it more when everyone is reunited to fight the big bad.

HACKS (HBO)
The second season was not as strong as the first. The dynamic wasn’t as volatile this time around. Some great moments throughout but it needed to be bigger. Not sure if there’s a season 3.

BARRY (HBO)
Barry had a good enough ending. Highlights of the season was Barry casually explaining messing someone up and the iPhone recording of a bonkers police takedown of Hank’s operation. There were too many slow moments this time around. Barry at the beach too way too long. Looking forward to what happens in the next season.

GASLIT (STARZ)
Watergate was messed up. It was an interesting take and I think I learned some stuff like G Gordon Liddy was so intensely weird.

MS MARVEL (DISNEY+)
This show is just okay but I feel I need to watch it as it may tie into future Marvel movies. Iman Vellani is charismatic enough as Kamala Khan but I hate her powers. The platform making looks cheap, video-gamey and lame. I hope she gets more powers soon as this is not cutting it for me. I like the playful background animations but they remind me of Spider-Man closing credits.

MASTERCHEF JUNIOR (FOX)
Good choices for the last few junior chefs. I always feel inadequate watching these youngsters cook.

MASTERCHEF: BACK TO WIN (FOX)
I’m rooting for a number of these returning cooks. I like that they have to make three identical dishes each time instead of just at the end. I like Joe as his comments are always more biting and fun.

What are you watching?