Quick Takes: "ParaNorman", "Miss Bala", "About Cherry", "Kung Fu Panda 2"

"ParaNorman" (First Viewing)

Directed by Chris Butler and Sam Fell

That "ParaNorman" entered theaters with a mark against it for not being what "Coraline" was speaks to hint of insightful irony that comes into play for the film. It is, after all, about people who become chastised for being different, some in ways crueler than you would expect for an animated feature. I didn't walk into this with terribly high expectations, which was due largely to a juvenile pair of trailers that emphasized the film's seemingly hollow comedic values. All those judgments go out the window in the first moments of the film, showing a high camp zombie flick that's rife with inconsistencies and errors, and intentionally so.

"ParaNorman" has a very different feel from what "Coraline" was doing. The 2009 film from Laika benefited heavily from Neil Gaiman's boundless imagination fuelling a frightening design aspect to the film. The new film from Laika goes retro and pulpy with its scares, because it is mainly a comedy which has zombies in it as a function of its storytelling. It's working off of stereotypes, something usually frowned upon in cinema, but it works them in a way that's funny, endearing, and offers some mature twists on them. That raises a question of the film's content, which is comically of a more mature brand, but offers some legitimately terrifying moments.

OSCAR 2011 PREDICTIONS: Animated Feature

Everyone is still salting their wounds over last year's tumultuous and difficult year for animated films. Between "Gnomeo and Juliet", "Mars Needs Moms", and "Cars 2", the animated group that's always been scrambling for Academy success took a beating in 2011. This year has a steady course of correction to that problem, with "Arrietty", "The Lorax", "The Pirates: Band of Misfits", "Brave", "ParaNorman", "Wreck-It Ralph", and "Rise of the Guardians" all vying for something more than simple entertainment. It's a lot more interesting to talk about the possibilities those film hold than to talk about the competition this year.

It's not going to go any other way than in favor of "Rango", as it well should. The film has the benefits of being cinematically unorthodox, massively entertaining, and the first animated film made by Industrial Light and Magic. It's a solid bet for either substance or craft, and there's no other film I feel deserves to win. I haven't had the pleasure or the enthusiasm to see three of the films on the list, so the only other one I can vouch for is "Kung Fu Panda 2". It's far from the most original film in the world, and indeed works off of the same template from the previous film. Doesn't change the fact that it's an effective formula that offers up plenty memorable action set-pieces.

Carpet-Bagging: Animated Feature Submissions to 18

The Oscars continue their slow gallop to relevance within conversation, though we're still widely confused about what could and will happen in the races this year. But at least we can start making finite guesses about one particular race, that being the Best Animated Feature category. The list of submitted titles has been announced, and the two pics whose mere presence is worth talking about are "The Adventures of Tintin" and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked". Having not seen anything from the latter, and still assuming they're doing what they've always done, I'm kind of surprised, but I won't get too much into it. No way in hell it makes the shortlist. And I'm also curious about "The Smurfs", but that's under the same area as "Alvin".

"Tintin", on the other hand, almost has a guaranteed spot in the nominations. There's been a great deal of positive word after the film's UK opening this past weekend. I'd consider it amongst the frontrunners of this year, as there's even severe doubt that "Cars 2" will even be nominated. If I were to lay my guesses on the nominations here, assuming there's five, I'd say the other four slots would be filled by "Chico and Rita", "A Cat in Paris", "Kung Fu Panda 2", and "Rango" tied for the lead. But that's just a far off guess. Happy to hear any other theories. Comment away!

"The Adventures of Tintin"

"Alois Nebel"
"Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked"
"Arthur Christmas"
"Cars 2"
"A Cat in Paris"

Summer 2011 a disappointment?

This is pretty much the last week of the blockbuster season of this Summer that kicked off with Thor, an unassuming and seemingly silly superhero film that many wrote off within the first trailer. Admittedly, I did to. I realize how wrong I was, and in fact Thor is still the most competent blockbuster of this year. Since then things have been hardly keeping themselves afloat, at least in this viewer's opinion. I know many who were more than pleased with Super 8, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, and X-Men: First Class, even if I wasn't. Hell, I even found Captain America of all things to be a somewhat welcome and campy reprieve from all the disappointment.

And that's just scraping the surface of what the viewing public critically approved of. How can we forget about all the warranted cynicism surrounding Priest, the blatant distaste of On Stranger Tides, and the unimaginable stupidity of The Hangover: Part II. And I almost forgot to mention Green Lantern, but it managed to disgust even the most hardcore of fanboys. And (dis)honorable mentions are needed for Zookeeper, Cars 2, Bad Teacher, Horrible Bosses, and others I'm too tired to list. All this hatred makes me forget the few real successes of the year.

Remember Kung Fu Panda 2, and how it brought us the greatest supporting actor performance of the year out of the mouth of a peacock? If Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy bottoms out, unlikely as it is, I'd suggest Gary Oldman just be nominated for that. How about Bridesmaids? Absolutely hilarious for almost two straight hours, and surprising depth from Kristen Wiig of all nutty characters. And I know this isn't a common opinion, but Transformers: Dark of the Moon was the most guiltily enjoyable romp of the summer. I feel no shame in admitting my enjoyment of Bay's loud stupidity.

So the season effectively ends this weekend with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, which is about as unassuming as film as Thor was at the start of the year. Fittingly enough, both films look to feature fantastically strong leading performances from unlikely actors. Having seen just seen it now, I can say that it keeps up this summer's streak of being adequate but not at all outstanding. I'll get to that later, but I didn't hate everything about the film. In particular, one thing is truly amazing.

Midpoint 2011: What's worth remembering?

To get yet another pet peeve out of the way, it is never appropriate to write in a review of any film, no matter how great it is, that it's the best film of the year thus far. After a time, it becomes far too redundant and honestly irritating. I don't like revealing my cards before they're played, and for that reason it seem ridiculous to remark on the best films of the year thus far. We're six months in and we haven't really gotten much to show for it. The first three months were a depressing slog through the gutters, and April was only refreshing in the most carnal of fashion.

How do I believe that? Well, you look at the standouts of the month, such as Hanna and Source Code, and while they are entertaining mainstream efforts, they offer little more than basic thrills and stylish conceits. Then May came along and the onslaught of fire, explosions, and death began, but not without a few small achievements. Thor proved to be a solid fantasy blockbuster adventure, Bridesmaids was a fascinating introspective comedy that succeeded where most failed, and Kung Fu Panda 2 is commendable for bringing us another fantastic performance from Gary Oldman.

June is where things got decidedly dicey, with anticipated films like X-Men: First Class, Super 8, and Cars 2 leaving this viewers infinitely disappointed. Even Transformers: Dark of the Moon, a film I was honestly ready to enjoy for what it was, managed to fail on a few levels that Revenge of the Fallen just didn't. I know! I really need to stop being so dead inside. I'll get my review for the film up by tomorrow, but the fact of the matter is that this year has thus far been largely a disappointment. I'd write it off as irrelevant when it comes to what I remember at the close of the year, but there are things worthy of mention.

Box Office Update: Green Means Stop

Sorry there wasn't any "Weekend Report", but from time to time my actual job tends to come in the way of me getting things up on time. On to the actual news, Green Lantern's opening was a mix of the good and the bad, opening modestly to $21.6 million on Friday only to decline greatly with the next two days. I have absolutely no intention of seeing it and adding to its now depressing total. It still managed to hold onto the top spot, but that's no huge feat going up against the second weekend of Super 8. Talking of which, J.J. Abrams' new film slipped only 40% from last weekend, which is pretty spectacular for a film built on a budget of $50 million.

Then there's the bastard second new release that finds its place lower down the list at number 3, this week being Mr. Popper's Penguins. The film fared less favorably than imagined given its kid friendly premise, but it was expected to land somewhere just below $20 million. Don't expect further kindness with Cars 2 coming in next week to snatch the kid crowd, and Bad Teacher picking up the comedic circuit. X-Men: First Class continued on a downward trend, falling another 50% to fourth place. Filling out the top five was The Hangover: Part II, which is finally bottoming out, and should end its run at about $250 million, far more than it deserves. This weekend ultimately was a gargantuan 23.8% down from last year, but that's understandable against the opening of Toy Story 3.

1. Green Lantern (First Weekend; $52.7 million)

2. Super 8 (Second Weekend; $21.3 million)

3. Mr. Popper's Penguins (First Weekend; $18.2 million)

4. X-Men: First Class (Third Weekend; $11.5 million)

5. The Hangover: Part II (Fourth Weekend; $9.6 million)

6. Kung Fu Panda 2 (Fourth Weekend; $8.7 million)

7. Bridesmaids (Sixth Weekend; $7.5 million)

8. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Fifth Weekend; $6.2 million)

9. Midnight in Paris (Fifth Weekend; $5 million)

10. Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer (Second Weekend; $2.2 million)

Box Office Update: Second Class Treatment

My personal prejudice aside, it makes perfectly good sense why X-Men: First Class performed the way it did this weekend. I understand why people liked it as much as they did, even though I feel like they shouldn't have. It makes sense that the film would thrive off of the male audience, because they are the core demographic of people who would like it. The film didn't open as massively as some believed because of the negative energy after X-Men Origins: Wolverine failed so badly. It picked up from positive word of mouth, and is likely to survive over the coming weeks. All things considered, this is a solid opening for the reboot/prequel.

As for second week holdovers, Hangover: Part II fell to second with a massive drop of 62.2%, as one could have expected of an opening as massive as it had and a reception as mild as it received. Kung Fu Panda 2 fell just under 50%, proving to be the better holdover of the two. The fourth Pirates of the Caribbean film continued its descent with a 54.8% drop, and Bridesmaids continued to perform exceptionally well with another small drop of 26.7%. In summation, the weekend was a vast improvement from last year, when Get Him to the Greek and Killers were the top new releases. It's that comparison that almost makes me think we're doing pretty well this year.

1. X-Men: First Class (First Weekend; $56 million)

2. The Hangover: Part II (Second Weekend; $32.4 million)

3. Kung Fu Panda 2 (Second Weekend; $24.3 million)

4. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Third Weekendl $18 million)

5. Bridesmaids (Fourth Weekend; $12.1 million)

6. Thor (Fifth Weekend; $4.2 million)

7. Fast Five (Sixth Weekend; $3.2 million)

8. Midnight in Paris (Third Weekend; $2.9 million)

9. Jumping the Broom (Fifth Weekend; $0.8 million)

10. Something Borrowed (Fifth Weekend; $0.8 million)

Box Office Update: Bad Decisions Till Monday Night

I guess it was a bit much to expect people to behave rationally this weekend, which was a massive success, despite the pit in my gut. It set a record for the highest Top 10 box office results for Memorial Day weekend, pulled out the second highest grossing R-Rated release, and gained us a fair bit of traction towards catching up with where we were at the box office last year. It's not hard to beat out last year, which brought the disappointing openings of Sex and the City 2 and Prince of Persia. So why am I not as happy as I'd like to be.

Starting from the top, The Hangover: Part II ruled the box office this weekend, aiming at the unbelievably available demographic of college kids just out of school for the summer, not to mention the fans of the first film. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that people will shell out their money based solely on hype for a film as redundant as this. I guess I was hoping for some degree of intelligence. If there had been such, perhaps Kung Fu Panda 2 wouldn't have performed as it did. The first film opened just north of $60 million, and the sequel came in just south of $50 million. Hopefully it will pick up in the coming weeks, but I'm still slightly downtrodden by this outcome.

Other than that, I honestly don't see what's to be upset about. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides fell substantially enough, as we knew it would. Thor remains the only blockbuster film this summer that didn't take so massive a fall after the first weekend. Bridesmaids continued to hold on well, despite the competition of The Hangover: Part II, or perhaps because of it. It stands to reason that they would make a compatible double feature. The last piece of modestly relevant news is that Midnight in Paris made the top ten, expanding to a mere 58 theaters, so bravo Woody Allen. We'll do a followup tomorrow when the numbers for Monday come in.

1. The Hangover: Part II (First Weekend; $86.5 million)

2. Kung Fu Panda 2 (First Weekend; $48 million)

3. Pirates of the Caribbean 4 (Second Weekend; $39.3 million)

4. Bridesmaids (Third Weekend; $16.4 million)

5. Thor (Fourth Weekend; $9.4 million)

6. Fast Five (Fifth Weekend; $6.6 million)

7. Midnight in Paris (Second Weekend; $1.9 million)

8. Jumping the Broom (Fourth Weekend; $1.9 million)

9. Something Borrowed (Fourth Weekend; $1.8 million)

10. Rio (Seventh Weekend; $1.8 million)

The Weekend Report: Do The Right Thing

With the Summer kick-off month come and gone with not a single $100 million opening, it's okay to be a tad bit discouraged. That being said, quite a few films performed better than what we expected. Thor proved to be a steady success, if only a mild one. Pirates didn't match the openings of its two predecessors, but it did moderately well for what we all knew was going to be a critical flop. The most qualified unexpected success of the month is definitely Bridesmaids, which is showing a rare staying power at the box office. Thursday numbers for the last two wide releases of the month are in, and they are somewhat promising.

Starting on an only moderate downside, Kung Fu Panda 2 opened to around $5.8 million, which is questionable for an opening day, but not when you realize that the target audience is in school. It's a family film in 3D, so you'd be a fool to expect the film not to perform well Friday through Monday. In fact, of all the films currently in theaters, it's the one I suggest. There are flaws to it, but it's the most entertaining and thrilling time you'll have at the movies with 90 minutes. It's much more endearing and likable than the alternative.

The Hangover: Part II opened to a heinously large $31.6 million on Thursday, $10 million of which came from midnight screenings. Expect great numbers over the four day weekend, but also expect it to drop off once the buzz of the opening wares off. I've heard some pretty weak word on the film, and if I wanted to see an exact copy of The Hangover, I'd watch The Hangover. If there were a film I would see this weekend, it'd be The Tree of Life, but I can't. It's only playing in limited release, and I probably won't have my chance until the end of June. If you're in that area, go for it. If not, go with Kung Fu Panda 2.

Film Review: "Kung Fu Panda 2" (***)

Last year was a booming year for animation, so this year has been more than a bit of a disappointment. Rio is the only animated venture I've even considered attending this year, but ultimately opted out of it. Seems more than a little too irritating for my tastes. Pixar is setting themselves up for another moderate dip with Cars 2, so we leave it to Dreamworks Animation to redeem this Summer. The tricky thing with Kung Fu Panda 2 is the expectations of this sequel, especially after the first film kicked off a trend of quality within the less than stunning animation company.

The film picks up some time after its predecessor, just as albino peacock Lord Shen returns to China in order to proclaim his rule over the world. As per usual, Po and the Furious Five head to Gongmen City to defeat him. Whilst this is all going on, Po begins seeing visions of his real family, and is reinvigorated in his hunt for Shen by his search for answers. Despite all their Kung Fu abilities, the group is rendered powerless against Shen's latest masterpiece of destruction: a unique fusion of cannon and fireworks.

The first film dealt with some rather standard themes in kids films, with Po transforming himself from a simple juvenile panda into one of the greatest kung fu masters in history. This second film's plot isn't as openly inspiring, and it works on several different emotional levels. The main theme it deals with is identity, and who we make ourselves to be as opposed to who we were born to be, and how those sometimes work in harmony. Po's discovery of his past is played a little too dumb, because Po would have conceivably figured things out sooner. It didn't make things any less heart-wrenching when Po finally remembers how he lost his parents.

For Your Anticipation: Anyway, Where Was I?

Kung Fu Panda 2 is easily the film that I'm most looking forward to seeing this weekend, mostly because I won't be able to see The Tree of Life this weekend. I'll probably get to that sometime in the approaching weeks, but not now. Kung Fu Panda 2 offers us the same sorts of action and laughs as we've come to expect, and the fact that Charlie Kaufman did a touch up on the script is more than reassuring.

Digital 3D in Summer 2011

I feel like the film industry has learned some valuable lessons in terms of using Digital 3D in film. I am, personally, an affable fan of the technique just so long as it is done correctly. It's like really good chocolate, but you can still overdo it. This Summer has found a certain measure of moderation, with X-Men: First Class, Super 8, and Cowboys & Aliens all opting out of Digital 3D. I think it's a worthy rule that if your film isn't just standard popcorn fare that you shouldn't go for 3D. In the meantime, there are some films that you could easily see in 2D without complaint. I'll try to give you a decent idea of which films would be worth the extra three bucks.

May

Thor - Post-conversion, but deals with epic celestial realms. Probably still majestic and preferable in 2D.

Priest - Not in 3D. Not in 2D. Not on DVD. NOT EVER!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides - Promising visuals from Rob Marshall in service of a less than spectacular screenplay. If you see it at all, go for 3D.

Kung Fu Panda 2 - Heartfelt animation from Dreamworks, so definitely worth 3D.

June

Green Lantern - It's practically an animated film, and the superhero was made for 3D. Should attract the same fans as Avatar, so you'll see it in 3D either way.

Cars 2 - If it's not in the sky, it's not worth your time. If you see Pixar's latest, see it in 2D.

July

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Sparks, explosions, clanging metal, and more explosions. Shut your brain off and see it in frantic 3D glory!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - I'm completing the journey in 2D. You should too.

Captain America: The First Avenger - Seems to evoke the film I would have died to see in 3D, Star Trek, so go for the glasses.

The Smurfs - Seriously? Don't even bother.

Films to See in 2011: May

As the official start of the Summer movie season, I can't help but think that May is shaping up pretty well under the circumstances. Each weekend gives us a gargantuan sized blockbuster for mainstream audiences to spend their time and money on, even if you decide to count Fast Five as the start of the season. I don't, because I occasionally decide to be optimistic. I'll continue to refer to Thor as the kickoff event, much like I referred to Star Trek as 2009's kickoff event after X-Men Origins: Wolverine went up in a pile of smoke and oblivion. Reviews for Thor have come out surprisingly well, which was probably the biggest worry heading into this Summer. Joss Whedon has started production today on the epic scale blockbuster for next Summer, The Avengers. We don't want to head into it with a bad taste in our mouths.

I have reservations against The Beaver, and they surprisingly enough have nothing to do with Mel Gibson. The man may suck as a person, but his work is still formally brilliant. Bridesmaids looks like an amusing vehicle for underrated SNL comedian Kristen Wiig. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides doesn't have a hope in chance of being good or great. What we can expect is a fun ride. Finally, as much as I would like to hope for the best, The Hangover: Part II is just starting to look unnecessary. I'll see it, which is a guarantee either way. I was on a dodge-ball team in high school called "The Wolfpack". It's pretty much a mandatory requirement. I just may not find as much gleeful pleasure as I had hoped for. That leaves us with my top three most anticipated films of this upcoming month, and I should be pretty well assured of greatness this time around.

Theatrical Trailer: Kung Fu Panda 2

The past two years of Dreamworks Animation have taught us to not to make immediate judgments based on their trailers, because quite often they show us the least important parts of the film. That's probably one of the most intelligent parts of their marketing strategy, and it manages to turn their films into pleasant surprises. This trailer for Kung Fu Panda 2 is no different, not showing much of the deep emotional plotlines that have been teased by producers, and instead just going with a few somewhat appealing, but not all that spectacular jokes, as well as some sweet visuals. I'm not saying it's necessarily going to be a great film, but don't judge the film based on this glimpse alone.

Teaser Trailer: Kung Fu Panda 2

The original Kung Fu Panda fleshed out the fact that Dreamworks films aren't always as bad as their trailers indicate, so whether this trailer is bad or good doesn't really matter. It doesn't reveal anything about the plot, but it offer one or two kind of amusing jokes, including one that lasts a rather long time, and for good reason. I suspected that we'd be getting a trailer for Kung Fu Panda 2 this weekend, and it played pretty well at the screening I went to, so I'm going to keep optimistic.