Ted

Honestly, this is where Mark Wahlberg belongs.  Forget The Fighter, I think he's found his calling! (I'm not being sarcastic for once)

Ted is about a young boy named John Bennett who makes a wish that his teddy bear will come to life and become his best friend.  Strangely enough, the wish comes true and Ted is born.  They grow up together, but along the way, things get more difficult when John's relationship with his girlfriend reaches a new level.  Suddenly, John has to leave his childhood behind, and in turn Teddy, in order to enter his adult life.  This film stars Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, and Mila Kunis. 

The celebrity guest appearances were extremely entertaining in this film.  Ryan Reynolds, Norah Jones, Tom Skerritt, Patrick Stewart as the narrator.  There were many more, but let's leave it at that for now. 

I think this film was hilarious with its jokes, in true Seth MacFarlane fashion.  Sometimes stupid, sometimes flat out ridiculous, while always attacking popular culture along the way.  It was almost like stand up comedy, but with a teddy bear making the jokes.  I give a thumbs up to Wahlberg for his ability to physically fight a teddy bear and make it look real.  Great job guys!

My favourite scene I have to say is the when Kunis has to pick up a turd from her carpet.  Mark Wahlberg's expression is priceless!

See this film!  Trust me, it's worth the two hours watching a teddy bear on screen.  I give this film 7.7/10.

Magic Mike

Surprise, surprise... looks like Channing Tatum is useful after all. 

Magic Mike is about a young man named Adam who gets into the stripper business, falling in to the party life of easy money, loose women, and drugs. This film stars Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn, and Matthew McConaughey.

And you thought this film was just cheap titillation for women.  Shame on you!

I was pleasantly surprised by this film, and not because of the naked men stripping on screen.  Let's just say I have little faith in Channing Tatum's acting abilities, partly because he rarely impresses me.  But in this film, I had zero issues with him.  I assume that he stepped it up because the film is loosely based on his life.  How embarrassing would it be if he sucked at recreating something he has already lived through?    

I found that the script was very realistic, especially the dialogue with the young girls.  The acting seemed very authentic and I liked that the most.  Now there were a lot of stripping scenes, and maybe a little too many, but that's just my opinion.  The dance numbers were very impressive, especially Tatum.  I forgot he was a good dancer, though you wouldn't know it by just watching him in Step Up. Ironically, he was much better in this film.

Now let's talk about the huge issue with this film: the ending!  It's so ambiguous, so empty.  You get a conclusion for one character, but you are completely left hanging when it comes to the main character.  They did not wrap up the film like they should have, and I just hope from the bottom of my heart, that they did not want to leave room for a sequel.  I can guarantee that if they try to continue this with more films, it will be a waste of people's money and time.  This is a one time success, and I promise you it won't happen again.

But back to the ending.  Seriously, it doesn't make sense.  I know I can't give it away, but let me say this -  had everything unfolded the way it did, the romantic element in the movie should not have happened.  Family will always come first, especially in a film like this, and I doubt that it would have ended that way in reality.  I think they were just desperate for a romantic moment.  That's all I'll say for now.

Matthew McConaughey deserves his own paragraph.  He really went all the way with his character, you can tell.  He was hilarious to watch and somehow mesmerizing - as though stripping is what he was meant to do.  I wish I was on set when he was filming, because I have a feeling it would have been one of the most entertaining performances to watch.

So Kudos to all the actors, the director, and the producers that made this film actually have substance.  Who would have thought?  I give this film 7.8/10.  Had the ending been better, maybe this would have been worth a solid 8.

Brave

Now this is animation I can get behind!

Brave is about a young Scottish princess named Merida who wishes to choose her own path in life, and not have her mother choose it for her.  By breaking Scottish tradition, Merida defies her mother and creates chaos among the kingdom.  When she puts her trust in a witch to change her fate, she learns the consequences of her rash decision.  She needs to be brave in order to set things right.  This film stars the vocal styling of Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, and Craig Ferguson. 

The scenery in this film is beautiful, so much so, that I want to go to Scotland to see it for myself.  The music was also really well done, and added a nice touch to the Scottish influence.  They kept true to the culture and tradition of Scotland, which I think was really important.  As for the plot, it was refreshing, in a traditional sort of way.  It was the type of film where there was a lesson to learn, but it was also easy to relate to.  It appealed to most audiences I believe, but perhaps, alienated some male movie goers.  I admit, it was more of a mother/daughter sort of film.  Regardless, for children, I think this an inspirational film that will stay with them. 

It had its funny moments too.  I especially enjoyed the younger boys, her siblings.  This is a film that children will love for years, I just know it.  I give this film 8.7/10 for being perfect just the way it is.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

I was seriously disappointed by this film.  The critics must have all been high off of happy pills when they saw this, because I didn't quite get the enthusiasm.

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted is the third installment in the Madagascar franchise.  We follow the lives of Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe and Gloria the hippo, as they find themselves joining a traveling circus in order to make there way home to New York.  It stars Ben Stiller, Jada Pinkett Smith, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Cedric the Entertainer - to name a few.

My biggest problem with this film is that the humour did not appeal to all audiences and the plot was kind of all over the place. There was too much going on sometimes, and at times it felt like work following the movement of events.  Some of the scenes were so ridiculous, that all reality flew out the window for this film.  Yes, I realize its an animated film about talking zoo animals, but still.  It was too much, especially with the woman who tries to hunt Alex down throughout the movie.  Her character was rarely fun to watch, even though the writers definitely intended her to be a highlight of the film.  She was obnoxious more than anything else.  Now let me be clear about the actors, they all did a great job voicing their characters.  This was purely a problem from the writers and those who constructed the plot's events.  Now let's talk about the comedy. 

This film rarely appealed to adult audiences, and when it did, the humour came solely from Sacha Baron Cohen's character - King Julian.  I give him the majority of the credit.

I think I'm gonna leave it at that.  To sum up: Too much going on in one film, limiting its audience to  children under the age of 10, and at times feeling a little unnecessarily long.  But for the sake of the children, this film just reaches a 7/10.

Snow White and the Huntsman

We have lots to catch up on.  I know I've been somewhat MIA lately, but I'm back and I have quite a bit to say.

As for Snow White and the Huntsman, a synopsis seems kinda pointless.  I would hope that the majority of the population would have at least heard of the fairytale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the fairytale, well, I'd be curious to know what your childhood was like - and if I were you I'd buy the animated movie pronto!!!  As much as I respect Charlize Theron, she wasn't enough to carry this film by herself.  And it wasn't for a lack of trying.

Without meaning to sound harsh, the movie wasn't all bad.  I mean, the visual effects were really interesting to watch.  I enjoyed the dark and sinister landscape, as well as the tone of the entire film.  Honestly, if I was going to give credit to just one group, it would be the visual effects team/set design. As for the costume design, that didn't go unnoticed either.  Very impressive, especially with the Queen's outfits. 

Now let's get to the acting, since we all know that is usually what makes or breaks a film.  I wanted more from Theron's character, the evil Queen.  She seemed like a very static character, not quite developed or deep.  In my opinion, the evil Queen is a character you could really explore - make her someone you could sympathize or empathize with.  Theron's version of the Queen was disturbing, but its effect was fleeting.  She stood as a prop to move the plot forward, rather than a dynamic character to give the story some life.  They threw in a pathetic attempt at giving the Queen background story, but it felt unexplored and last minute.  As for Kristen Stewart, she wasn't horrible.  Usually, I just want to smack her for entering the acting biz, but I was content this time.  I'm still convinced that almost any other female actress her age would have done a better job, but I guess because she looks the part and she was in Twilight, the film industry overlooks her... flaws (to put it kindly).  Now, I acknowledge that she has been a decent actress in the past, but some roles she should just stay away from - like anything that involves romance or sadness.  Anyways, to sum up Kristen Stewart in a word: mediocre.  Moving on to Cutie (a.k.a. Chris Hemsworth), I'm always impressed at how he can alter his Aussie accent in almost every movie he's in.  Not many actors can do that so well.  I thought he did all he could do with the role he was given.  Again, not too much depth to his character, but that's not his fault, nor is it Theron's fault.   Other than that, he can do no wrong.  I think he's a pleasure to watch, and not just because he's nice to look at.  The dwarfs were entertaining to watch as well, and they actually brought some excitement to the film, especially during some of the more boring scenes.  I'm actually quite grateful for their appearance in the film, otherwise I might have fallen asleep.

Let's talk about the plot for a minute.  There are a few scenes that just show the characters traveling, with light music in the background.  To sum up: too many, too boring.  I noticed that in one of the scenes they are walking through snow and Snow White miraculously has a jacket.  Huh?  I don't remember her having a jacket. How convenient - just saying.

To move on, I want to talk about the pathetic attempt at romance.  What the hell was that?! It was so random and so pointless.  I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but trust me, don't get too excited.  It's not like they actually go anywhere with it.  They should have done themselves a favor and left romance out entirely.

Okay, let's end this.  So I think this movie had a few redeeming qualities such as the visuals, but the script and the plot need a serious rewrite. With more developed characters, certain actors could have taken this movie further and I would be writing a slightly different review.  I give this film 6.2/10 for the visual effects that made scenes interesting to watch.