PopcornJury
Joined Oct 2010
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Reviews19
PopcornJury's rating
Despicable Me is a wonderfully enjoyable yet totally forgettable animated feature from Universal Pictures that follows an eerie criminal mastermind as he works to become the greatest, most despicable villain in the world. The film, starring the voice of Steve Carell as Gru, a criminal intent on executing the largest heist in the history of the world, is often funny, always entertaining, but unfortunately much more forgettable than the animated films it goes against (see Toy Story 3 and How to Train Your Dragon). Regardless, for young kids or an adult audience alike, it provides enough wonderful visuals and comedy to keep you fully competent for it's fast paced 95-minute run time.
Despicable Me opens and ends with Gru, an awkward individual dressed in all black with a pointy nose, bald head, skinny legs, and fat body. He, much like the other characters in the film, features characteristics that we don't often see in animated features. No one necessarily looks human, but in the age when apparently we're able to build shrink rays, spaceships, and squid launchers, who knows what mankind will look in the making.
When Gru meets Vector, the criminal most famous for stealing a pyramid in Egypt, the film immediately becomes a competition of criminal minds, a battle for the bigger idea, and a race to outwit the other individual. It's only when Gru adopts three young girls, originally planned as bait to outwit is sympathetic suitor, that the film goes from funny and action oriented to sappy and heartwarming.
There's absolutely nothing bad about Despicable Me from a film-making standpoint. I was very much impressed by the visuals, the design, and the overall flow of the script. I guess the reason the film was somewhat forgettable for me, is the fact that it was such a lighthearted piece of entertainment, with characters that exited my head just as easy as they entered into it. With films like Toy Story 3, we're brought back to our childhood with toys, muppets, and mascots that we remember from our yesteryears. With How to Train Your Dragon, we're transferred into a world of magical, mystical dragons. With Despicable Me, we're still in the States, but the inventions we're capable of coming up with are just a bit more complex.
Overall, I recommend Despicable Me for what it is, a lighthearted, funny, fantastic looking animated feature. Is it the best animated feature I've seen? No. But in the age of the Alpha & Omega's and the Alvin and the Chipmunks, trust me, you could do a whole lot worse.
Michael Buffa Editor, Popcorn Jury http://www.popcornjury.com
Despicable Me opens and ends with Gru, an awkward individual dressed in all black with a pointy nose, bald head, skinny legs, and fat body. He, much like the other characters in the film, features characteristics that we don't often see in animated features. No one necessarily looks human, but in the age when apparently we're able to build shrink rays, spaceships, and squid launchers, who knows what mankind will look in the making.
When Gru meets Vector, the criminal most famous for stealing a pyramid in Egypt, the film immediately becomes a competition of criminal minds, a battle for the bigger idea, and a race to outwit the other individual. It's only when Gru adopts three young girls, originally planned as bait to outwit is sympathetic suitor, that the film goes from funny and action oriented to sappy and heartwarming.
There's absolutely nothing bad about Despicable Me from a film-making standpoint. I was very much impressed by the visuals, the design, and the overall flow of the script. I guess the reason the film was somewhat forgettable for me, is the fact that it was such a lighthearted piece of entertainment, with characters that exited my head just as easy as they entered into it. With films like Toy Story 3, we're brought back to our childhood with toys, muppets, and mascots that we remember from our yesteryears. With How to Train Your Dragon, we're transferred into a world of magical, mystical dragons. With Despicable Me, we're still in the States, but the inventions we're capable of coming up with are just a bit more complex.
Overall, I recommend Despicable Me for what it is, a lighthearted, funny, fantastic looking animated feature. Is it the best animated feature I've seen? No. But in the age of the Alpha & Omega's and the Alvin and the Chipmunks, trust me, you could do a whole lot worse.
Michael Buffa Editor, Popcorn Jury http://www.popcornjury.com
I'm not going to lie. I don't know a thing about street art, graffiti, or the extremely talented artists sticking countless buildings in the Los Angeles and UK cityscapes. What I do know is that Exit Through the Gift Shop is a hip, ultra modern documentary that exposes us to the secret world of the Sheperd Fairys, the Banksys, and the Alien Invaders, arguably some of the most creative, unique, and talented artists of the 21st century. Haven't heard of these dudes? Don't worry. Neither had I.
Banksy is a British graffiti artist whose identity is to this day, unconfirmed. His pieces can be seen all over the UK where he's been known to break apart British telephone booths, paint elephants completely pink, and create stencils and illustrations that don't so much destroy the cityscape around them, rather than enhance them. Shepard Fairey is an American artist, graphic designer, and illustrator who's been an active graffiti artist in Los Angeles for the last ten years.
While Exit Through the Gift Shop was originally supposed to be a film about Banksy and Fairey, a strange thing happened. The director, Thierry Guetta, a french filmmaker who had spent the better part of his life documenting every single minute of these two men on a camera went from being the one filming to the one being filmed. His life combined not only the secrets of the two most popular graffiti artists, but also a behind the scenes look at how he, Thierry Guetta, went from a father, to a filmmaker, to world-renown artists, arguably on the same scale as Banksy and Fairy, all within the course of a few short years.
The film documents a ton of illegal street art activity. This isn't only fun to watch, it's extremely eye opening to see that this world actually exists. There's individuals out there, running the streets at 3:00 in the morning all in pursuit of a passion. On top of this, we're exposed to a behind the scenes look at one of the most interesting cultural shifts to take place in the last century- the rise of the street art show and its increasing importance within the overall art industry. We have these individuals who practically look homeless, yet they make millions of dollars for one piece of art. It's truly a unique experience that one must see to believe.
Exit Through the Gift shop has received nothing but praise since its premier at Cannes earlier this year. Much like the artists and the art it chronicles, it turns the traditional confines of an art documentary piece into an action-oriented thrill ride that documents one of the craziest cultural art trends taking place throughout the world. Once you start this film, regardless of your interest in art, I guarantee you won't be let down.
Michael Buffa Editor, Popcorn Jury http://www.popcornjury.com
Banksy is a British graffiti artist whose identity is to this day, unconfirmed. His pieces can be seen all over the UK where he's been known to break apart British telephone booths, paint elephants completely pink, and create stencils and illustrations that don't so much destroy the cityscape around them, rather than enhance them. Shepard Fairey is an American artist, graphic designer, and illustrator who's been an active graffiti artist in Los Angeles for the last ten years.
While Exit Through the Gift Shop was originally supposed to be a film about Banksy and Fairey, a strange thing happened. The director, Thierry Guetta, a french filmmaker who had spent the better part of his life documenting every single minute of these two men on a camera went from being the one filming to the one being filmed. His life combined not only the secrets of the two most popular graffiti artists, but also a behind the scenes look at how he, Thierry Guetta, went from a father, to a filmmaker, to world-renown artists, arguably on the same scale as Banksy and Fairy, all within the course of a few short years.
The film documents a ton of illegal street art activity. This isn't only fun to watch, it's extremely eye opening to see that this world actually exists. There's individuals out there, running the streets at 3:00 in the morning all in pursuit of a passion. On top of this, we're exposed to a behind the scenes look at one of the most interesting cultural shifts to take place in the last century- the rise of the street art show and its increasing importance within the overall art industry. We have these individuals who practically look homeless, yet they make millions of dollars for one piece of art. It's truly a unique experience that one must see to believe.
Exit Through the Gift shop has received nothing but praise since its premier at Cannes earlier this year. Much like the artists and the art it chronicles, it turns the traditional confines of an art documentary piece into an action-oriented thrill ride that documents one of the craziest cultural art trends taking place throughout the world. Once you start this film, regardless of your interest in art, I guarantee you won't be let down.
Michael Buffa Editor, Popcorn Jury http://www.popcornjury.com
The Kids are Alright isn't a very good film. Much like a film I saw earlier this year, Greenberg, the Kids are Alright is a two hour film about nothing. Sure, it starts with an interesting premise involving two kids growing up with two moms, and their hidden desire to meet their sperm donor, but it ends with a messy affair, turmoil between the two children, and a ton of super stupid subplots involving whether or not the kids will follow suit in regards to their mom's sexual orientation.
Let me start this next paragraph with a warning: I have no stance on sexual orientation. I believe and encourage everyone to look at this subject with an open mind. That said, I truly believe that The Kids are Alright is a film best viewed by a gay audience. The story, the drama, the tension, the emotion- I think it all lends better to an audience who can actually understand and appreciate what's going on on screen. Not to say the film couldn't be manipulated to appeal to absolutely any audience– it could– but everything about the film, to me, just screamed gay. Not because of the lesbian marriage between the two leads, but because of the gay porn scenes, the strange sexual relationship between a boy and his friend, and the idea that someone can become ungay (see straight) if they meet the right person. These are just some of the subplots that seemed to me, much better suited in a gay audience environment.
If I haven't given you enough clues already, this film tells the story of a lesbian couple, with two surrogate children who reach out to their sperm donor father once they hit 18. Julianne Moor and Annette Benning play Jules and Nic, the lesbian couple in the film. When Paul, the donor (played by Mark Ruffalo) enters the picture, everything seems to change. Much as the title suggests, the kids are constantly alright, but it's the adults who start inheriting some serious issues.
The Kids are Alright is getting a ton of nominations for some big time awards. I wouldn't be surprised if it even makes an appearance at this year's Oscars. For me, it just didn't hit on any level. The screenplay could've been gold, showing the dynamic relationship between a family of open individuals embracing one another in a coming of age tale. Instead, the film focused on the adults, their relationships, and the jealousy they face as they get older, more distant from their children, and more estranged from one another. It's a cool movie, very 21st century, but it just didn't quite stick. You won't be seeing this film on any of my year end lists, but don't be surprised if it pops up on a number of others.
Michael Buffa Editor, Popcorn Jury http://www.popcornjury.com
Let me start this next paragraph with a warning: I have no stance on sexual orientation. I believe and encourage everyone to look at this subject with an open mind. That said, I truly believe that The Kids are Alright is a film best viewed by a gay audience. The story, the drama, the tension, the emotion- I think it all lends better to an audience who can actually understand and appreciate what's going on on screen. Not to say the film couldn't be manipulated to appeal to absolutely any audience– it could– but everything about the film, to me, just screamed gay. Not because of the lesbian marriage between the two leads, but because of the gay porn scenes, the strange sexual relationship between a boy and his friend, and the idea that someone can become ungay (see straight) if they meet the right person. These are just some of the subplots that seemed to me, much better suited in a gay audience environment.
If I haven't given you enough clues already, this film tells the story of a lesbian couple, with two surrogate children who reach out to their sperm donor father once they hit 18. Julianne Moor and Annette Benning play Jules and Nic, the lesbian couple in the film. When Paul, the donor (played by Mark Ruffalo) enters the picture, everything seems to change. Much as the title suggests, the kids are constantly alright, but it's the adults who start inheriting some serious issues.
The Kids are Alright is getting a ton of nominations for some big time awards. I wouldn't be surprised if it even makes an appearance at this year's Oscars. For me, it just didn't hit on any level. The screenplay could've been gold, showing the dynamic relationship between a family of open individuals embracing one another in a coming of age tale. Instead, the film focused on the adults, their relationships, and the jealousy they face as they get older, more distant from their children, and more estranged from one another. It's a cool movie, very 21st century, but it just didn't quite stick. You won't be seeing this film on any of my year end lists, but don't be surprised if it pops up on a number of others.
Michael Buffa Editor, Popcorn Jury http://www.popcornjury.com