Turbo

ANIMATED, FAMILY

He's Fast. They're Furious.

8.5 out of 10 | Movie or DVD

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Rated: PG Some mild action and thematic elements
Release Date: July 17, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes

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Director: David Soren
Writers: Darren Lemke, Robert D. Siegel, David Soren
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Samuel L. Jackson, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong, Michelle Rodriguez, Mario Andretti, Mike Bell

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SYNOPSIS:  A freak accident might just help an everyday garden snail achieve his biggest dream: winning the Indy 500.

REVIEW: David Soren has had his hands in the creation of Shark Tale, Madagascar videos and television shorts, and Over the Hedge. Now he hits the big time as the director for an animation bout a snail who dreams of speed. Building a shell for the slug is Jack the Giant Slayer scribe Darren Lemke and Big Fan writer Robert D. Siegel, focusing on a little snail that could.

Theo (Ryan Reynolds, The Croods) is a normal garden variety garden snail. He dreams of going fast, following in the footsteps of his idol and legendary Indy car driver Guy Gagne (Bill Hader, The To-Do List). His brother Chet (Paul Giamatti, Rock of Ages) tries to get Theo to stop thinking about speed and to start thinking about what all other snails think about - tending to the garden and harvesting tomatoes. When an accident makes Theo reassess his slow life, he finds himself injected with nitrous oxide which gives him super speed. Both Theo "Turbo" and his brother are found by a taco seller named Tito (Michael Pena, Gangster Squad) who dreams of making his and his brother Angelo's (Luis Guzman, The Last Stand) taco stand successful. When Tito finds out about Turbo's speed, he and the snail decide to enter Turbo in the Indianapolis 500 race to gain exposure and acclaim!

Dreamworks has a knack for creating unique and interesting animated stories. While Disney Pixar seems to have started to rely on sequels like toy story and spin-offs like the upcoming Planes, dreamworld has dazzled with their recent efforts. Turbo is no exception. Taking a story of a snail that wants to race seems absurd, but they make a great story out of it anyway.

Turbo has a silly cast of characters, especially when dealing with snails. Even though turbo has NOS speed, that doesn't stop other 'need for speed' snails from slithering out of the woodwork. Led by Whiplash (Samuel L. Jackson, The Avengers), Turbo encounters Smoove Move (Snoop Dogg, Starsky and Hutch), Burn (Maya Rudolph, The Way Way Back), Skidmark (Ben Schwartz, The Other Guys), and White Shadow (Mike Bell, Kung Fu Panda 2). All of them are decked out in racing strips and tail fins. Joining the snails are a human cast of characters that seem to have move faith in a turbo-charged snail than Theo's own brother. Tito recruits the other owners in the starlight plaza, including auto mechanic Paz (Michelle Rodriguez, Fast and Furious 6), hobby store owner Bobby (Richard Jenkins, Killing Them Softly), and nail stylist Kim Ky (Ken Jeong, Despicable Me 2).

The animation is dazzling, on par or better than the raceway created on Disney's Cars. From the grooves in the track, to the camera work around and under the other Indy cars, to the discarded tire rubber 'pebbles' on turn four, Turbo does not disappoint. No where near photo realistic, Turbo lets the snails and their human counterparts take on their characters with their voices. The snails are cute and loveable, each with an unique look. The streak trail that Turbo leaves behind is a character all its own, allowing Turbo to speak to Tito in pictionary format when the snail needs to get his point across.

When you are a snail that dreams of speed, you are an outcast from the rest of the snail world. When dreams come reality, Turbo still finds himself a loner until he meets other snails that share his racing vision. At the end of the day, though, Turbo must rely on his own heart and spirit - not turbo-charged speed - if he is to get the job done.

Turbo is a fun ride for kids and adults. Silly, well-rendered, and having a great story of heart and of following a dream, this film will get your motor running.

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Despicable Me 2

ANIMATED/COMEDY/FAMILY

Gru - When You Need a Hero?

8.0 out of 10 | Movie or DVD

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Rated: PG Rude Humor and mild action
Release Date: July 3, 2013
Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

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Director: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin
Writers: Justin Haythe, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio
Cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Benjamon Bratt, Miranda Cosgrove, Russell Brand, Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan, Elsie Fisher, Dana Gaier

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SYNOPSIS:  Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.

REVIEW: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud return as directors of the Gru-tastic follow up to Despicable Me. Written by the Despicable Me creative team of Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (The Lorax), we find that Gru has changed his ways in order to be a good father to Edith, Margo and Agnes. But the good times will not last long!

Gru (Steve Carell, The Way, Way Back) has denounced his wicked and evil ways in favor of taking care of his three adopted daughters Edith (Dana Gaier), Margo (Miranda Cosgrove, School of Rock) , and Agnes (Elsie Fisher). Gru has even given up crime in favor of having his minions and Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand, Rock of Ages) work on a legitimate business venture with jellies and jams. When a top secret research facility in the artic circle is stolen for a even more top secret experimental serum, an agent named Lucy (Kristen Wiig, Bridesmaids) from the AVL (Anti-Villain League) recruits Gru to root out the villain behind the heist, believed to be hiding out at the local mall. While undercover, Gru is sure that he has uncovered a supposedly dead super villain named el Macho (Benjamin Bratt, Snitch) but is overruled due to lack of evidence. Can Gru find out the truth before his minions and, more importantly, his precious girls are put into danger?

The return of Gru and his minions is an exciting prospect. What person with emotions did not smile during the original film or the commercials when Edith thrusts her stuffed unicorn into the air and declares 'he's so fluffy!'? A sequel was all but demanded by that simple act of a little girl and the warming of the heart of a ruthless criminal mastermind. This time around, Gru has already shed the trappings of being a criminal, focusing all his efforts on the happiness of his little girls.

Gru still has his snarky edge from his years of being a bad guy, but he has warmed up to the fact that being a father is better. The problem is that Edith wants to have a mother too. Facing a threat even greater then an archenemy, Gru shrinks back from the idea of dating. Agent Lucy Wilde, on the other hand, finds Gru enchanting and fun. It does not take a mad scientist to know that a chemical reaction will take place between Gru and his new junior agent partner.

Steve Carell brings back his Gru character just as you would expect. Kristen Wiig, as Agent Wilde, voices her character with a lighthearted romantic slant. Benjamin Bratt, as el Macho, amps up the villain with as much machismo as he can muster. The minions are funny as always, laughing, speaking of their strange language, and blowing raspberries at each other, for supreme comic effect.

The story is a little different from the original. But the main difference is that Gru already has the love of the girls and will do anything to keep them safe. It was fun to watch him in the original while he was trying to make that realization. There is something lost in the fact that Gru is not trying to peddle off the girls back to the orphanage. The action, though, is on par with the original film with a few additional flares.

The creative team does manage to change things up a little bit by adding more pop culture references. From the music group All for One, a homage to Donald Sutherland and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, to Isaac from The Love Boat, to an aerial shot not unlike the final battle in Star Wars: A Phantom Menace, there is something for everybody to enjoy – not just the kids.

While not as good as the original, Despicable Me 2 does entertain kids and adults alike. It may not do as well as the other animation out this season, namely Monsters University, but it will draw enough minions for it to be a success.

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Pain and Gain

ACTION/ADVENTURE, COMEDY

Bigger Than Yours

8.0 out of 10 | Movie or DVD

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Rated: R Language throughout, bloody violence, drug  use, crude sexual content and nudity
Release Date: April 26, 2013
Runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes

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Director: Michael Bay
Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Pete Collins
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackey, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Rob Corddry, Ken Jeong, Rebel Wilson, Mindy Robinson

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SYNOPSIS:  A trio of bodybuilders in Florida get caught up in an extortion ring and a kidnapping scheme that goes terribly wrong.

REVIEW: Director Michael Bay made his mark on Hollywood with his adrenalized actioners Bad Boys, Pearl Harbor, and The Transformers franchise. He takes a break from robots in disguise to return to something more terrestrial. The true story is adapted to the big screen by Captain America and The Chronicles of Narnia series writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and new writer Pete Collins.

Daniel Lugo (Mark Walhberg, Broken City) has a dream. He is a body builder trainer with ideas of being the best he can be. He's a do-or not a don't-er. After going to a self-help seminar led by Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong, The Muppets), Daniel gets it in his head to target one of the gym's wealthy clients, Victor Crenshaw (Tony Shalhoub, Monk), and take his house and money. A three-man job, in his opinion, Daniel enlists the help of fellow trainer Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie, Gangster Squad) to help. Needing one more man, they approach ex-convict muscle head named Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson, G.I. Joe: Retaliation). Looking to have Crenshaw sign over his property and bank accounts, the trio end up being bumbling idiots and unable to get the kidnapping for the transfers done right the first time around. When Crenshaw somehow survives the experience the cops do not believe his story and Daniel, Paul and Adrian hunt Crenshaw down again. Crenshaw goes to the Yellow Pages to find former Miami cop and former private detective Ed Du Bois (Ed Harris, Man on a Ledge) to take his case. When Daniel, Paul and Adrian start living the big life off the money they stole from Crenshaw, their living in excess has its costs and forces them to plan another job, thus allowing the Miami-Dade police department to close in.

Michael Bay returns to the directors chair to leave behind giant robots and alien invasions. This time, he focuses on an unfortunate true story that seems almost as unbelievable. Michael Bay was the originator of the slo-mo hero walk and overly stylistic cinematography. In this effort he adds in some Tarantino-esque edit stop shots and on-screen labels to add to the story. With the added elements, it  shows that the director is expanding his palette a little bit.

Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, and Anthony Mackie devoted their bodies to fitness for the making of this film - and it shows. Each of them normally have great physiques but they completely bulked up for these roles. Wahlberg is thick, Johnson has no neck, and Mackie looks almost unrecognizable (except for his mug). The trio is so big there costars Tony Shalhoub and Ed Harris look utterly puny in comparison.

Wahlberg knows his way around both drama action and comedy. Pain and Gain is right up Mark alley. Anthony Mackie adds in his own style, and The Rock plays against type as a coke-snorting, Jesus-finding ex-con. These guys makes for a modern day Three Stooges criminal disorganized ring. One would like to believe that Americans aren't this stupid, but since it is based on true story I guess anything is possible.

Coming in at two hours and eight minutes this film is long, but he keeps moving. Michael Bay changes narrative perspectives, by letting each of the main characters have their own voice over. Switching perspectives keeps everybody involved in the plot line and keeps the story moving. It also helps that all the characters are just fun to watch.

The success of Pain and Gain comes in the fact of its ridiculousness. Wahlberg is a master of the straight man with absurd dialogue and monster stunts without cracking a smile. The film is a series of misdeeds and misadventures on a scale larger then Dwayne Johnson's biceps.

Filled with laughs, a degree of cat and mouse antics, and some Oceans 11 style planning, Pain and Gain will make you laugh and will make you cringe. This film is never better then when Mark Wahlberg and his cronies are at their worst.

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Zookeeper

Griffin Talks to the Animals

Director: Frank Coraci

Writers: Nick Bakay, Rock Reuben, Kevin James, Jay Scherick, David Ronn

Stars: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Joe Rogan, Donnie Wahlberg, Ken Jeong, Nick Turturro

SYNOPSIS: When a favorite zookeeper falls for the girl he had his heart broken by five years earlier, the animals in the Franklin Park Zoo break their vow of silence with humans to help him.

REVIEW: Frank Coraci, a favorite Adam Sandler director with Click, The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer, moves to the end of the alphabet and to a new lead comedic actor with Zookeeper and Kevin James. Written by Kevin James film scribe Nick Bakay and a host of others, including Rock Reuben and Kevin James himself (The King of Queens) and Jay Scherick and David Ronn (Norbit), Zookeeper is another in a long line of talking animals starring in romantic comedies.

Kevin James stars as Griffin Keyes, a zookeeper at the Franklin Park Zoo who treats his animals with love and co-workers with respect, who as a hopeless romantic five years earlier proposed to his girlfriend Stephanie (Leslie Bibb) on a sun-setting beach - only to be rejected outright. Focusing all of his energies on his work, he realizes that he hasn't gotten over Stephanie when she is invited to his brother's engagement party at the zoo. Overhearing the fact that she is now interested in Griffin, the zoo animals decide to break their vows of silence with humans in order to give Griffin support to help win the girl. What results are plenty of hi-jinks based on relationship advice from furry critters, from marking your territory to throwing poo to fronting one's "pudding cup".

Adding to the human cast are Rosario Dawson at the zoo's eagle expert Kate, Ken Jeong as quirky and somewhat creepy reptile keeper Venom, Donnie Wahlberg as the sometimes too gruff zookeeper Shane, Nick Turturro as the upbeat zoo security guard Manny, and Joe Rogan as another of Stephanie's ex-boyfriends Gale who Griffin finds himself using the animals relationship pointers against as they compete for the same girl.

Not to be outdone, the voice cast is a collection of A-listers and fan favorites. Nick Nolte voices Bernie the Gorilla, a beast who has been sentenced to a life of loneliness as a result of an accusation of attacking zookeeper Shane. Adam Sandler voices Donald the Monkey, a primate who feels he is higher on the animal food-chain because of his highly-developed thumbs. Jon Favreau's Jerome the Bear and Faizon Love's Bruce the Bear bicker over advice like an old married couple pent up too long in the same zoo enclosure. Not to be outdone on the marriage squabbling are Sylvester Stallone and Cher as Joe the Lion and Janet the Lioness. Rounding out the voice talent are Judd Apatow as weight watching Barry the Elephant, Maya Rudolph as singing Mollie the Giraffe, Bas Rutten as Sebastian the Wolf, Don RIckles as Frog, Jim Breuer as Crow and Richie Minervini as Ostrich.

James brings his King of Queens mania and Paul Blart: Mall Cop over-sized heart to the role of Griffin. In the tradition of Night at the Museum, where unexpected events come to life after the facilities close, Griffin and his animal compatriots mull over the next technique to try on Stephanie when the last advice keeps making Griffin looking foolish. The high points are the Griffin/Gale alpha male competitions for Stephanie's affection, a memorable dance sequence at Griffin's brother's wedding, and an unplanned trip for Griffin and Bernie to T.G.I. Fridays - shut up!

Zookeeper is silly, funny, heartfelt and enjoyable for anyone who enjoys talking animals and light romantic comedies. Just be sure to temper the advice that any talking animal may give you, even if many species mate for life!

WORTH: Matinee or DVD

The Hangover Part II

Another Raunchy Blackout!

Director: Todd Phillips

Writers: Craig Mazin, Scot Armstrong, Todd Phillips

Stars: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong, Mason Lee

SYNOPSIS: Phil, Doug and Alan fly to Thailand to attend Stu's wedding. Innocent beers around a beach bonfire lead to another blackout involving fires, tattoos, prostitutes, monks, a monkey and a missing brother of the bride-to-be.

Director Todd Phillips returns to helm another raunchy blackout adventure with his favorite wolf pack members. Upping the game with a wedding taking place in an exotic locale, Stu, Phil and Alan take the same constructs from the wildly successful original and twist them right round, baby! It's like how John McClane managed to get embroiled in another terrorist conspiracy just by showing up somewhere around Christmas! The story doesn't seem like it would work again, but Phillips and crew bring all the filthy and hardcore goodness home again.

Replace a missing tooth with a freshly drawn tattoo, a missing Doug with a missing Teddy, and Mr. Chow with Mr. Chow, then throw in a smoking monkey in a Rolling Stones emblazoned denim vest and you have a comedy sequel that will leave you laughing so hard you will cry. And if you thought that you saw everything the first time around, surprises are definitely in store.

What makes The Hangover Part II so unique is its dirty phallic Memento style that keeps the audience equally engrossed and grossed out. Part II also adds in adrenaline with guns, chases, gangsters that make Mr. Chow a tame criminal imitator, bitches! Even the references to the first film are funny. When Phil calls Doug's wife to tell her "it's happened again", you can't help but laugh at the absurdity of it all.

Bradley Cooper's Phil tries desperately to keep calm and collected in the face of chaos, his piercing eyes blazing when not hidden behind amber sunglasses. Zach Galifianakis' Alan is more a child then ever this time out, clued in and clueless in equal parts. Ed Helms' Stu really takes center stage this time in Thailand, though, fighting against all of the warning signs that lead to a repeat of a certain previous Las Vegas bachelor party that was immortalized on a digital camera. Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong) is given a wider role, manic and unpredictable as ever.

The Hangover Part II throws caution to the wind this time around, knowing that to top the original one needed to instill the best components of the first and amp up everything else. And although Las Vegas does not make an appearance in the sequel, its Lady Luck follows the wolf pack in spades.

WORTH: Friday Night Opening and DVD