Your story is that normal office drone Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) discovers that he is the son of a super assassin who belongs to the Guild of Calamitous Intent, no wait that’s the Venture Brothers.  Oh right, it’s the much more creative Fraternity.  He is recruited by Fox (Angelina Jolie) and is directed by Sloan (Morgan Freeman) to his father’s killer.  Eventually things get a bit cloudy as things are not as they appear (which is my way of saying stuff happens that if I told you would ruin the film for you).  The plot is not that complex, but it is twisty enough to provide interest from start to finish.  Aside from the many cliches employed (let’s train the hero sequence), it had just enough uniqueness to make the film watchable the entire time.  You do want to find out how the story is resolved.

Now when I mentioned liking the film for the wrong reasons, it all seems to boil down to the acting and the directing.  Let’s start with McAvoy’s acting.  His character is great when he’s the loser office drone, but once he figures out he’s an assassin and has the ability to kick any one’s ass he becomes less enjoyable and believable.  McAvoy allows you to experience his stress and anxiety at work, who can’t relate to that.  But the crossover from that to super powered man god demonstrates that McAvoy must have decided that channeling Chuck Norris or Clint Eastwood was his best path to finding the character.  Too bad it doesn’t work.  I do have to say that the office scene when Wesley confronts not only his manager but also his best friend is one of the best scenes in the film.  It has all the making of a classic Office Space like scene.  Once we move beyond McAvoy, the two standouts are Freeman and Jolie.  Freeman’s Sloan is exactly what you would want out of the Morgan Freeman acting style.  He has the perfect mannerisms for the slightly off kilter brainiac leader.  Think of his character in Se7en and you have a pretty good idea of how he plays Sloan.  But this all just sets you up for perhaps my favorite line of the film, Freeman saying, “Shoot the Mother Fucker!”  Don’t worry, I didn’t ruin anything.  Here is one of the wrong reasons for liking Wanted.  The whole film was worth it to hear Freeman say that.  Now on to Jolie.  Let me first clear the air by saying that Jolie is incredibly hot and nothing will change that.  And add that you did get to view her derriere for a split second.  Again, liking the film for all the wrong reasons.  Look, Jolie essentially plays her stereotypical bad girl that does get a bit tiring.  We’ve seen it before, but it still fits the part.  One day I may not give Jolie a break, but she does show us some of the goods!

Aside from the acting, the direction of the film was supposed to make me love the film.  It did, but only because I had a few good chuckles laughing at Timur Bekmambetov’s attempt at translating his oversees success with Night Watch and Day Watch into Hollywood gold.  The action and special effects are way over the top to the point of being like the Wachowski brothers.  However, by trying to pull it off as more “realistic” just makes the effects seem like a vanity project for Bekmambetov.  I know the graphic novel was over the top as well, but it’s that fine line of should I think the film bends reality or is just not set in reality that irks me.  Compared to Night Watch, there is less innovation and more compromise.  I really got the sense that this film was Bekmambetov’s audition tape for more Hollywood projects.  He toned down his style to fit more effects in and make the film more Hollywood friendly.  Perhaps I’m reading it all wrong, but I really do not want to see Bekmambetov become like the Wachowskis, a sell-out.

I wanted Wanted to be good so that I could watch it again and again.  But alas, it will be a one time viewing because there was just not enough there to warrant another viewing.  It was a neat film that was entertaining, but the action and special effects detracted from that plot.  It was a neat experience following Wesley, but the lack of originality in certain portions drug me down (I half wanted McAvoy to start punching the meat in the knife training scene while Eye of the Tiger played).  I’m not writing Bekmambetov off yet.  I eagerly await his next film, after the long awaited final film in the Night Watch trilogy.  And now Angelina Jolie because I just love the way she looks at me.

Kung Fu Panda is about a panda bear, Po, who inadvertently becomes what he dreams of becoming, the Dragon Warrior.  We follow him from his father’s noodle shop (somehow his father is a bird) to the Dragon Warrior naming ceremony where the Furious Five are vying for the crown.  After a fireworks mishap, Po lands in the middle of the ceremony and hence, becomes the Dragon Warrior.  The rest of the film is about Po’s acceptance of the title, Shifu and the rest of the Furious Five’s acceptance of Po, and the villain Tai Lung.  Ultimately, Po finds the hero inside to become the true Dragon Warrior.

I was excited and worried about seeing Kung Fu Panda.  When my daughter and I went to see Horton Hear a Who, we saw the trailer and were instantly wowed.  Then every other marketing outlet had something Kung Fu Panda related.  As the hype grew I was getting all giddy waiting until we could go and see it, but then it hit me.  How many times does a film actually live up to the hype?  In this case, it does.  Living up to the hype was vital for me because I did not want my daughter to leave the theater with a bad experience.  Here we had Happy Meal toys and Lunchables with Po all over them, imagine the disappointment if the film sucked.  Thankfully, it is now in her top three films of all time (yes all time is short to a four year old but none the less), only behind both High School Musicals.  So what makes this film wonderful?

The number one reason this film works is because of the voice acting.  I don’t know how many times I’ve been put off by the actors behind the voices, and with Jack Black being the lead, I hoped we got the reserved actor rather than the off kilter one.  As Po, Black brought out the sensitive humorous side in the character.  We had the charming jokes and the tenderness with only limited Jack Black flair.  Check out the title of the post to see the most Jack Black thing about the character.  It was great being able to see beyond Black and see Po.  Even the other voice actors worked.  I loved Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and Oogway the turtle (Randall Duk Kim).  They gave their respective characters the needed wisdom while still getting a few laughs.  The biggest surprise came from Crane (David Cross), who carried most of the conversation of the Furious Five.  He was aloof yet caring.  The rest of the cast was decent, but perhaps faded a bit due to the lack of dialogue; which may have been for the better.  Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Mantis (Seth Rogan), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Monkey (Jackie Chan) fit their roles fine, but were relegated to back seat status.  Since I can’t stand Seth Rogan, this worked out well.  Even Tai Lung (Ian McShane) and Commander Vachir (Michael Clarke Duncan) where perfect for their roles.  McShane gave the villain the needed growl while Duncan just made sense as the head rhinoceros guard.  You could really tell that the actors believed in the film and gave each character the needed personality without overwhelming the character.

The second reason this film is wonderful is the animation.  Pixar is known for its computer graphics, but DreamWorks took it one step further with an amazing animated style.  Even from the opening dream sequence that looks like Samurai Jack, you knew that time was put into the animation.  Not too mention seeing Tai Lung’s fur move with the breeze.  These may be minor things, but these minor things brought out a tremendous amount of emotion.  It just worked, plain and simple.

I did have some reservations, mainly that it was rated PG.  Since my daughter is only four, I did consider skipping this because of the rating.  I am so glad I didn’t since the rating was mainly for animated violence.  Duh, it’s a film about Kung Fu.  So how bad was it?  No worse than any other kids show, in fact perhaps better since it was timed perfectly and fit the story.  The fight scenes were never bloody or overdone, in fact many cut away before any major violence happened.  This was no worse than watching professionals spar.

So how about my developing film critic?  She love this film.  She connected with the relationship between Po and Shifu, she was appropriately scared and understanding of Tai Lung, and even had a girl to like in Tigress.  She goes around the house showing us her Kung Fu (limited to Hiyaa! and a front kick) and sleeps with her stuffed Po as a protector against bad dreams.  There may not have been songs to sing like in High School Musical, but she found that sometimes a good story is all you need.  It was also nice to see her become interested in Chinese culture.  It may not be much, but the film allowed her to venture away from her own cultural background.

Kung Fu Panda is an awesome film that will no doubt be repeatedly viewed in my home once it hits DVD.  As a kids film, it has everything you could want including interest for adults.  There may not be the adult humor of a Shrek, but who needs it when the story is so good.  See this film, buy this film, and get ready for a sequel!

I had no intentions of watching this film, but I couldn’t resist recapturing my youth since I saw an article about Thundercats, G.I. Joe, and Voltron films in production or the planning stages. Transformers was fun and entertaining with very cool special effects. I actually hate to admit that I did like the film. I am in no way endorsing a second one however. I think that films such as this exist because my generation wants to see what it would be like to have our toys exist on the screen. Animation just doesn’t cut it anymore. What surprised me the most was the acting in the film.

I fully understand why Shia LaBeouf is considered a hot property in Hollywood. As Sam Witwicky, he is hero who falls into the Transformer story. In general, the cast is interesting but does fade together throughout the film, but LaBeouf has the ability to rise out of the muddle and create a connection with the viewer. Perhaps it’s because when we were playing with Optimus Prime, we were Sam. The story is dependent upon the viewer transferring our hopes and dreams with Sam. LaBeouf has the ability to be charming, an idiot, hilarious, and a hero all within the confines of acting with a robot. His love interest Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) hurts and helps this. Megan Fox is hot, no doubt, but her acting borders eye candy and just enough. I think her character would be a great research project for a psychology class because it is obvious that her jailed father and bad taste in men define her character. Which makes it even more meaningful that she chooses Sam, or perhaps it makes it a necessity of the plot to keep her on camera. I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and wait until I see her in more films and reruns of Hope and Faith. I also want to mention that John Turturro’s Agent Simmons is a great little role. He’s quickly becoming an actor I look for in a film.

The biggest stars in the film are the Transformers. The voice acting is great and the transformation moments are well done, but you never really go beyond the “this is CGI” effect. Early in the film the transformations are handled slowly, setting up the first few aha moments. As you the film progresses, the transformation become more of a show than a plot device.

Speaking of plot, nah. You know the plot and even though you know exactly where the film is going, it really doesn’t matter. I was bothered by one aspect of the film, how in the hell do Sam and Mikaela not get injured whenever they are riding on Optimus Prime? I know this is a small thing, but it killed my believability. Even in a film this far from reality, it would be nice to think that I wasn’t being considered an idiot. Is there a safety cage on his shoulder or a force field? Are the humans actually just robots in disguise as well? If Deckard can be a replicant, could Sam be a new Autobot prototype? Whatever, the point is that if you introduce a gap, people are bound to see it.

Overall I am glad that I watched Transformers. It was a great way to revisit my youth and fulfill the nagging question, is it possible to do a live-action Transformers. The answer is yes, but only if your Michael Bay. I should also mention that Megan Fox is an Angelina Jolie clone with cool tattoos. I like tattoos and so should you.