Escape from Planet Earth

ACTION/ADVENTURE, ANIMATED, COMEDY, FAMILY, SCI-FI/FANTASY

Earth's Greatest Secrets Break Out

8.25 out of 10 | MOVIE - DVD

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Rated: PG Some mild rude humor and action.
Release Date: February 14, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes

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Director: Cal Brunker
Writers: Tony Leech, Cory Edwards, Cal Brunker, Bob Barlen
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rob Corddry, Ricky Gervais, Jonathan Morgan Heit, jessica Alba, Sofia Vergara, Sarah Jessica Parker, William Shatner

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SYNOPSIS:  Astronaut Scorch Supernova finds himself caught in a trap when he responds to an SOS from a notoriously dangerous alien planet. His nerdy brother Gary from Mission Control may be his only hope.

REVIEW: Cal Brunker, storyboard artist on films like Despicable Me and Horton Hears a Who!, takes direction to new heights as the director of the new Weinstein Company animation Escape from Planet Earth. A cadre of writers bring this cosmic cartoon to life, including Hoodwinked! screenwriters Tony Leech and Cory Edwards, director Brunker, and Push and Turn writer Bob Barlen.

Scorch Supernova (voiced by Brendan Fraser, Furry Vengeance) is a home world hero to the citizens of Baab. He goes out on various missions rescuing babies from baby-eating savage aliens, and more. Always trying to prep and prepare scorch for every mission is his older brother Gary (voiced by Rob Corddry, Warm Bodies), considered a nerd who rattles his fingers on keyboards at mission control by his brawny dimwitted brother and the rest of the workers. When Scorch is told to answer a distress call on the 'Dark Planet' and his eagerness works against his brother's preparedness, Gary quits and Scorch is left to his own devices. When Scorch is captured by the 'Dark Planet's' government's military, Gary must sum up the courage to go after Scorch on a rescue mission of his own. In his attempts to rescue his brother, Gary is captured by the men of General Shanker (William Shatner, Boston Legal) at Area 51 who is using other captured aliens - including a three-eyed slug named Thurman (George Lopez, The Smurfs), a solar brute librarian named Io (Jane Lynch, Wreck-It Ralph), and a psycho-therapist personality Doc (Voiced by Craig Robinson, Hot Tub Time Machine) - to build a defense weapon before they are allowed to return to their respective planets. But as Gary tries to break his brother out of Area 51, they uncover more than they bargained for.

The Weinstein Company and Kaleidoscope bring out their big galactic guns for a space odyssey that centers around two orbiting brothers. Gary is the older brother that tries to look after his younger, bolder and reckless brother and hero Scorch. Looked down by Scorch, and even his own son Kipper (voiced by Jonathan Morgan Heit, Date Night) who idolizes the planetary explorer, Gary is forced to face the prospect of having to step light years outside his comfort zone to save his captured family. But as with every tale that included Area 51, a deeper conspiracy is afoot, making this personal tale more galactic.

General Shanker is the typical steely eyed military leader obsessed with taking advantage of the secrets and technology the aliens who have been captured have to offer. But his terrestrial trappings does not limit his malice to his own planet. He may even have corrupt allies on other planets!

Escape from Planet Earth is a silly animated tale that should delight children and parents alike. The voice com in mission control and on board the escape pod Mr. James Bing (Ricky Gervais, The Invention of Lying) belts out a variety of quick throw-away one-liners that only adults will catch and appreciate. Lopez's Thurman provides slimy and sticky comic relief for the kids. Even a janitor and his nemesis, a broom handle, add to the yucks. It's screw ball animated comedy that the whole family can enjoy.

The animation is reminiscent of Monsters Vs, Aliens and Planet 51. Cartoony, detailed, and pleasing to the eye, Escape from Planet Earth will give you something fun to look at - at the very least! The 3D is cool, but not critical to the enjoyment of the film. If you need to save some dollars in favor of more concessions for the kids, skip the cost for the 3D glasses.

Escape from Planet Earth offers a fun family comedy. It's clever, without the need to be overbearing. Just the right amount of silly galactic goodness for the whole family to enjoy.

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Little Fockers

What the Fock?

[Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Teri Polo, Jessica Alba]

image from boxofficebuz.com

RANT: My housemate wanted to go see Little Fockers. So we went together. Unfortunately, her and I have very different opinions on what we thought of the movie. I guess if everyone had the same opinion about films, we would not have a need for critics!

SYNOPSIS: The Fockers plan for a get-together for the birthday of their 5-year old twins. When Jack Byrnes wants to appoint Greg the successor as the new family patriarch, Greg finds himself buckling under the weight of the responsibility.

Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro and gang return for the third installment of the Gaylord Greg Focker experience. Early trailers did not show Dustin Hoffman, which worried me, but he and Barbra do come back to fill out the Focker parents Bernie and Roz. Teri Polo and Blythe Danner make up the Byrnes legacy of Pam and her mother Dina, along with De Niro's Jack. And Owen Wilson returns as Kevin to yet again pine away for Pam. Even Jinxes the cat make a couple of cameos. Joining in on the fun is Jessica Alba as a pharmaceutical rep, Andi Garcia, with big plans for Greg and his career.

Although director Paul Weitz replaced two time Focker director Jay Roach, the actors and their characters are developed enough that nothing seems amiss as they return to the Focker world. Jack is still as paranoid and distrustful as ever, regardless of the success that Greg has made for Pam and his 5 year old twins. And as always, the Byrnes women stick by their men, knowing what makes them tick. Alba's Andi and Wilson's Kevin play the wild cards, somehow causing Jack to make much ado about nothing.

The situations in this outing are not as outlandish as those in Meet the Parents or Meet the Fockers, but as the franchise matures, so does the subject matter. Even though Jack and Greg continue to face off, it is more about the legacy and family that a man leaves behind and less about the two of them squaring off. Both are the rocks of their families, just in different ways. There are a couple great moments - one involving a children's ball pit and Jaws music, another with Jessica Alba taking a swan dive into a excavated backyard pit, and a third with some erectile dysfunction medication and an epi syringe.

If you enjoyed Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers, you will be interested in how far the Byrnes and Fockers have come with the Little Fockers. But although I laughed out loud more than once, the latest effort still may not live up to the original or the sequel for some.

Worth: Matinee or Netflix

Butter Popcorn Meter

Machete

Just Talkin' 'Bout Machete!

[Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez, Robert De Niro, Jeff Fahey, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagel, Don Johnson]

image from calitreview.com

RANT: Labor Day weekend comes and goes. A day trip to Hershey Park accented the official end of Summer. The in-ground pools can now be covered and the BBQs can be cleaned and put away. But we can always put on the pool heater and cook the steaks well into October. Just like film at the cinema, we can always keep Summer (and Summer movies) alive.

SYNOPSIS: Ex-Federale Machete is left for dead by drug cartel boss Torrez. 3 years later, Machete surfaces in Texas as a day laborer, faced with a $150,000 offer to assassinate Texas Senator McLaughlin, who is in favor of building a border wall and deporting all illegal Mexicans.

Robert Rodriguez and cousin Alvaro write and Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis direct the expanded trailer of the same name from the faux coming attractions between the Grindhouse films "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof". So well received as a trailer in 2007, Rodriguez contemplated making "Machete" into a full length feature. And here it is!

For fans of Tarantino and Rodriguez homage films like "Kill Bill: Volume 1" and "Grindhouse", "Machete" will become a welcome edition to those directors' canon of films. "Machete" is Mexploitation at its best! Of course, I guess I would have to find some other 1970s Mexican ass kicker films to put it against. That's okay though, because Shaft, Super Fly, and Black Dynamite ain't got anything on Danny Trejo.

Danny Trejo plays the title character with the classic 1970s tough guy flair. Never changing, Machete is a singularly driven hero archetype. As a ex-Federale, Machete is considered C.I.A, D.E.A. and U.S. Marshall all rolled into one. He pursues justice, even if he has to mow down a thug or two with a large swinging blade.

To match the charisma and machismo of Danny Trejo, Rodriguez has assemble a cadre of villains to confront and confound him. Steven Seagal stars as the mexican drug lord Torrez who kills Machete's wife point blank and stabs and leaves Machete for dead in a burning shack. Don Johnson stars as border vigilante Lt. Stillman, bent on eradicating the infestation that is the Mexican illegals. Recorded on the human hunting expedition with Stillman is Robert De Niro's Senator McLaughlin, anxious to put up a border wall between Texas and Mexico. Jeff Fahey stars as McLaughlin's aide Booth who is more devious than his boss.

Even though Machete is facing insurmountable odds, he is helped by the lovely ICE agent Santana (Jessica Alba), the Mexican underground Network and its leader Luz (Michelle Rodriguez), and his padre brother (Cheech Marin).

Ass-kicking is abound, classic 70s B-movie cinematographic slop cropping is evident, gratuitous nude scenes are expertly inserted at strategic moments (just ask Lindsey Lohan and her onscreen mother June, Alicia Marek) and almost everyone gets their just desserts of burrito justice. Although the story is pure schlock, the subject matter is surprisingly relevant.

Worth: Matinee and DVD (for the fans)

I am also trying out a new rating system shown below based on reader reaction to my somewhat complex monetary rating scale. I will give both ratings and see what kind of reaction I muster. A movie can receive up to 5 popcorn buckets. Why popcorn buckets? Because I am a slave to the thousand + calorie delight! Enjoy!