Monsters University (2013)

Needs more schooling.

Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan are the best of friends and partners for life. But of course that wasn't always the case. Flashback to when they were younger, college to be exact. When Mike and Sulley first saw each other, the only mutual understanding between them is to hate one another. Hence, their college life began. Flash further back, it focuses on Mike and how he always wanted to be the best scarer ever. Things don't go smoothly for him in Monsters University as he has to prove himself to everyone that he is capable of being a scarer.

There was so much excitement the moment this movie was first announced. The 2001 film Monsters Inc. Is one of Pixar's most prized jewels and I bet they thought that an additional jewel wouldn't hurt. Well... let's just say it stumbled a lot and got a few bruises on the way. However, I would choose Monsters University any day compared to the last film Pixar released which is the 2012 film Brave. Ironically enough, both films currently have a 78% rating in Rotten Tomatoes.

When Pixar officially announced Monsters University, I figured it carried two burdens on its shoulders. The first one would have to be its audience. Yes, this is an animated film intended to be watched by children. How about the children at heart though? One particular sector in the demographics that will absolutely be watching Monsters Univ. are the young adults or specifically college students. The children who watched Monsters Inc. back in 2001 will surely not miss out on a prequel of a movie that was part of their childhood. So pleasing the children and the young adults is a difficult task that Pixar definitely must have considered. The second burden that I thought of primarily concerns the plot itself. In the trailers, it is established that Mike and Sulley were not on good terms before they became the best of friends. Thing is, even before watching this movie, majority, if not all, of the entire human population might have watched Monsters Inc. already and know that they are friends. So the question that a viewer has on his mind when about the watch the film is that "How are you gonna tell the story and how are you gonna make me stay and watch?" Because technically speaking, the entire movie is spoiled to us already because of the first film. The latter of the problems I mentioned should have been carefully thought of because as I was watching the movie, I found myself checking for the time. Definitely not a good sign when you're watching a movie.

So was it a bad film? No it wasn't but Pixar could have definitely have done better. I appreciate how the movie makes the viewers, especially the old ones, nauseous of the first film and makes them go "Oh look! It's..." during the movie. I also like how they put certain twists and unexpected situations that negates the first film but explains it in the latter part of the film. It offers great historical background on the characters of Mike and Sulley. You get to know more about the two of them and why they act like they do in Monsters Inc. 

Moreover, certain themes and subject are also present in the movie such as the idea of false hope versus chasing your dreams despite all odds. Would you fight and pursue or give up and find something better? This is probably one of those rare films that tell you to give up something which you're not good at. Majority of the films keep on telling you to just keep on believing in yourself no matter what the people around you say. Idealism vs. Realism.

One of the things I look for in animated films is the character development. There must always be a character development or else there would not be an emotional hook to the audience. Monsters University manages to execute great character development not only in the two protagonists but also in the supporting characters. It deserves a round of applause since it's quite rare for the supporting characters to also undergo development. Now with regards to the emotional hook I mentioned, I find it weird that despite the character development in the film, it lacked the emotional drive present in the previous works of Pixar. It didn't have a single scene where it made me go "Awwwwwwww..." (hope you read this the way I wanted it to sound)

In conclusion, the movie despite some shortcomings is still great and manages to bring out laughs and enjoyment from the audience. Just needed a better way to keep the viewers interested not only in certain parts of the film but as a whole.

Rating: 3/5

P.S.

Before Monsters University started, a Pixar short "The Blue Umbrella" was really cute and entertaining. As a matter of fact, 6 minutes of it gave me more feels than the movie I came for.

White House Down (2013)

Not even close to Die Hard but good try.

U.S. Capitol Police officer John Cale (Channing Tatum) dreams of being part of the Secret Service to protect President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). However, he doesn't get the job for not meeting the standards of what it takes to be a Secret Service agent. On that same day, he takes out his daughter Emily, who is a big nerd for politics, on a tour of the White House in hopes of building a better father and daughter relationship and to not let her down because of the bad news about his job interview. A typical day which could have ended normally is disrupted by a group of mercenaries who seize the white house and kill all of the Secret Service agents. It is now up to John Cale to save his daughter and the president before the attackers get what they want.

A somehow similar film was also released just recently which is Olympus Has Fallen, which I haven't watched yet, but they obviously have the same premise: the White House under attack. What makes a concept like this cool yet in the danger of being unrealistic is the fact that a highly secured place such as the White House can be breached. But I guess since Die Hard, almost everybody can now be fooled that terrorists can pretty much do anything they want and how they want it done. Let me repeat and clarify, this may not have been as good as Bruce Willis' Die Hard but that doesn't mean it was bad. White House Down has a share of its own strengths and weaknesses. But being the person that I am, I really prefer focusing on the weaknesses since it's easier to write a review that way :)

One of the questions that popped into my head during the first part of the movie, but eventually didn't bother with anymore, was whether the movie was an action-comedy film. I saw the trailer for this movie a long time ago and there were already a few punchlines in it but I didn't expect the entire film to be drowned in it. An occasional punchline here and there is acceptable. I understand that these punchlines serves as a comic relief to ease the tension and relax the audience so they won't feel burdened with the heavy action scenes but this film had one too many. Bad part is that some of them are not even funny. It tries hard to make the audience laugh, some of it works but some miserably fails.

The plot is actually interesting. On the surface, you see a man trying to save his daughter and the president from invaders. But if you actually analyze the plot and dig deeper, you would see that it is a character-driven plot with slight touches of politics. The protagonist and the antagonist have their own reasons for their actions and decisions. These reasons make the characters alive and would eventually get the entire movie running. Technically speaking, it has great potential for pulling off a great character development but sadly, it fell short. Character development was present but barely noticeable. In addition to critiques with regards to the plot, the build up was dull and half-baked. It didn't give you the feeling of excitement. Most often it was even cliche and predictable. All you need to do is just wait for the characters to do what you have already thought.

On the bright side though, I really liked the chemistry between Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx. Although I wasn't really convinced in the beginning, they grew on me as the film progressed. Despite the fact that not all jokes are funny, the humor of Tatum and Foxx rarely fails. Watching the two of them together is already amusing. More than that, they complete one another and is a perfect couple. No this isn't a gay film but what I mean is that because one of them is a president while the other is a police officer, they have their own strengths and weaknesses which might get them killed if they're by themselves but unstoppable when together. However, the duo's likability is not present with the other characters. I really don't like the antagonist of the movie. Some say that when you hate the villain, then that character is the perfect villain. I beg to disagree. Though not really related to the movie, for the sake of debate, let me give a few villains that are loved: Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith from The Matrix, Heath Ledger's Joker from The Dark Knight and of course, Ralph Fiennes' Voldemort from...well I'm sure you know. Case closed. The villains of White House Down were a complete letdown. One is a common thief; another is out for revenge, and finally, a mastermind who is morally challenged. Each of the villains has a specific purpose of their own and are only connected to one another by a thread that can easily be broken. 

On the technical side of things, I appreciate the use of CGI but there was a heavy use of it throughout the movie. It was also a bit questionable in terms of looking realistic. They looked too fake at times. But being a Roland Emmerich film, I guess it isn't much of a surprise anymore. So I'll let this one slide but one thing I won't is its lighting. I wasn't even halfway in the movie and I was already complaining a lot with the lights already. There were scenes wherein they were too dark that you can barely see the faces of the characters anymore. I don't know if they did that on purpose but I didn't like it. 

White House Down is a good movie if you wanna see what the White House looks like before and after it's bombed and seized. Expect a few laughs and giggles but remember, not all laughs are good, some laughs are for the sake of ridicule and insult.

Rating: 2/5

Movie Review: Skyfall & Wreck-It-Ralph

 The name's Bond... James Bond

 "Probably the best Bond film yet..."

I just went to the cinemas earlier today and watched Skyfall, and may I just say that I completely love it. The James Bond franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and the film Skyfall is a great gift to all James Bond fans out there.

What I loved about Skyfall is that first of all it's not your typical James Bond movie that people have been seeing for the last 50 years. This time, the movie focused on James Bond's past, his relationship with M and how he grows and develops in the entire duration of the film.

 If I were to ask you "what comes into your mind when you hear James Bond?" You would probably say: "action, women, sex, cars, gadgets" don't get me wrong, Skyfall has all that but the movie took on a more classical approach. It's like a classic film meant to be watched in 2012. The story was well thought of, it had an emotional-undertone to it, then development of the character was given importance, the action scenes were thrilling, the editing and cinematography (especially the last part) was superb.Not to mention the actors, Daniel Craig really fits the James Bond character so well. Only with the span of three films, he made James Bond come to life and made a name for himself as well.

"It's like a classic film meant to be watched in 2012."

What's been always difficult for action movies is that sometimes, the story gets left behind and is overshadowed by the action sequence. But this is definitely not the case for Skyfall. The action scenes had good harmony with the story and none of them overshadowed one another. Another thing I liked in this film is the locations where they shot the movie. One was in Turkey, another was in Shanghai, next was Macau, and the last one was Scotland. Each location had different vibes into it. I liked Shanghai and Macau the most. The film showed how beautiful the two cities are in the night. I also have to give a thumbs-up to Adel for singing the theme song of the movie. It's really good. :)

I'd give Skyfall a rate of 9 out of 10. I really liked it and it's probably the best Bond film yet in my opinion. :) I've been a fan of the franchise since Pierce Brosnan and thanks to HBO last time, I was able to watch some of the older films. :)

                                      "I'm Gonna..."

"I'm bad, and that's good, and that's not bad, there's no one I'd rather be than me"- Wreck-It-Ralph

Another awesome film from Disney. The movie revolves around the life of a "not-so-bad" bad guy of an arcade game. Sick and tired of being bad and always the loser, he goes against the rules and finds himself and his purpose in the process.

This is one great family film and even before the start of the movie, Disney presented a short film entitled Paperman which was quite entertaining as well. The movie Wreck-It-Ralph would definitely bring nostalgia especially to the 90's kid because it surely did bring me one. Seeing those old video game characters all in one movie made me realize how old I am already. So yes, the setting for the movie really worked out well and it's sure to bring lots of audience from different age groups.

The voice actors did a good job in this film.I have to say my favorite is Jane Lynch giving life to Sergeant Tamora Jean Calhoun, a badass female soldier with an attitude. Of course Ralph also had a great voice actor thanks to John C. Reilly. What I really appreciate in this film is that with the presence of various video games, the voice must be well-coordinated to the character or else it would seem awkward, and Wreck-It-Ralph did a good job in the casting of their actors.

"You don't need a medal to prove your worth"

A few criticisms though, there would be times that it would get a little boring and the world of the arcade is not much explored in the movie. Perhaps a sequel would improve this? It has the tendency to lean into the cliche moment but otherwise it's really good. I recommend everyone to watch this especially children. It would teach you that you don't need a medal to prove your worth. 

Watch Skyfall and Wreck-It-Ralph and share your thoughts about the movie below :)

Skyfall: 4/5

Wreck-It-Ralph: 3.5/5