Showing posts with label popcorn combo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label popcorn combo. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Dan In Real Life (2007)
We rate it a Popcorn Combo: We won't be watching it again, but aren't ashamed to admit we were captivated by the series of unfortunate events that is Dan's life.
Directed by: Peter Hedges
Written by: Pierce Gardner and Peter Hedges
Starring: Steve Carell, Juliette Binoche, Dane Cook, Dianne West, John Mahoney
Sunday, November 28, 2010
"I'm Going Ghost!"
A lot of cartoons get flack nowadays for their lack of concept and...well, cartooning. (Let's be honest. I'm one of the people giving flack.) But I bite my tongue when it comes to Danny Phantom.
David Kaufman voices Danny Fenton, the awkwardly pubescent son of ghost-hunting inventors Maddy and Jake. After a completely avoidable run-in with his parents' gadgets, Danny gains super powers which enable him to become invisible, fly and walk through walls. (Sure those are lame powers to start off with, but the kid does all right.)
Joined by his friends Tucker (Rickey D'Shon Collins) and Sam (Grey Delisle), Danny battles the ghostly forces of evil for an impressive 53 episodes. Director Butch Hartman shows admirable vision, cutting the show off the air before it became boring or annoyingly redundant. The show has a definite (and surprising) conclusion. Check it out for yourself on Netflix.
The characterization of adolescence is in line with American stereotypes. The cast oscillates between engaging and annoying throughout the series. If you skip a few episodes in the 3rd season you'll be fine.
The animation favors the popular Japanese style, but skips the face plants and sweat drops, taking advantage of simple lines and angular construction. The coloration and heavy shadowing makes for a palpable atmosphere that will have you jumping at shadows.
I rate it a POPCORN COMBO!
Danny Phantom Episode List on Wikipedia
David Kaufman: Danny Phantom
Nick Toons: Danny Phantom Games
David Kaufman voices Danny Fenton, the awkwardly pubescent son of ghost-hunting inventors Maddy and Jake. After a completely avoidable run-in with his parents' gadgets, Danny gains super powers which enable him to become invisible, fly and walk through walls. (Sure those are lame powers to start off with, but the kid does all right.)
Joined by his friends Tucker (Rickey D'Shon Collins) and Sam (Grey Delisle), Danny battles the ghostly forces of evil for an impressive 53 episodes. Director Butch Hartman shows admirable vision, cutting the show off the air before it became boring or annoyingly redundant. The show has a definite (and surprising) conclusion. Check it out for yourself on Netflix.
The characterization of adolescence is in line with American stereotypes. The cast oscillates between engaging and annoying throughout the series. If you skip a few episodes in the 3rd season you'll be fine.
The animation favors the popular Japanese style, but skips the face plants and sweat drops, taking advantage of simple lines and angular construction. The coloration and heavy shadowing makes for a palpable atmosphere that will have you jumping at shadows.
I rate it a POPCORN COMBO!
Danny Phantom Episode List on Wikipedia
David Kaufman: Danny Phantom
Nick Toons: Danny Phantom Games
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Heartbeeps
In the mood for some mechanical mush? Then check out Heartbeeps. This early 80s film squeezes in next to other AI classics such as DARYL and Short Circuit with one exception-Andy Kaufman as an android.
If you're never seen the comedian at work then brace yourself for an hour and a half of painful awkwardness as Val (Kaufman), the lumber-savvy companionship bot, falls in love. Add to the mix, Bernadette Peters as Aqua the pool-side party droid and you've got yourself a movie.
The plot is simple if unusual: Two out-of-order androids embark on a mission to find out about trees. Their impromptu hike turns disastrous when two factory workers discover their disappearance and set out to reclaim the runaway merchandise. Meanwhile, a dysfunctional policing robot, the CrimeBuster Deluxe, joins the fray, determined to return Val and Aqua to their warehouse prison.
Heartbeeps has the right people. Kaufman and Peters work well together and still manage to add their signature traits to each role.
The film is dated, making it very difficult to take seriously. Despite the rampant silliness, there are several moments (beautiful and philosophical) that should not be missed.
It's an excellent choice for your next 80s party or family movie night. I rate it a Popcorn Combo!
If you're never seen the comedian at work then brace yourself for an hour and a half of painful awkwardness as Val (Kaufman), the lumber-savvy companionship bot, falls in love. Add to the mix, Bernadette Peters as Aqua the pool-side party droid and you've got yourself a movie.
The plot is simple if unusual: Two out-of-order androids embark on a mission to find out about trees. Their impromptu hike turns disastrous when two factory workers discover their disappearance and set out to reclaim the runaway merchandise. Meanwhile, a dysfunctional policing robot, the CrimeBuster Deluxe, joins the fray, determined to return Val and Aqua to their warehouse prison.
Heartbeeps has the right people. Kaufman and Peters work well together and still manage to add their signature traits to each role.
The film is dated, making it very difficult to take seriously. Despite the rampant silliness, there are several moments (beautiful and philosophical) that should not be missed.
It's an excellent choice for your next 80s party or family movie night. I rate it a Popcorn Combo!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Old Dogs
Dear Viewer,
Dan (Robin Williams) and Charles (John Travolta) have been life-long friends and business partners. With a big business deal around the corner their lives couldn't be further from perfect. They have the bachelor pads, the women and the cars. Only Dan seems to think there might be more to life...
Throw in a long-lost love and a couple of kids and you've got yourself an adventure, my friends!
Old Dogs is a cookie-cutter family flick. The surprise plot is predictable. The problems are expected and the solutions seem too easy. If you were expecting a deep and moving dramatic piece...What were you smoking? This is simply not that kind of movie.
Safe, warm and simple as a blanket, Old Dogs will entertain for sure. There's nothing like watching a grown man being cradled by a gorilla or Robin Williams tripping on drugs to give you a fit of the giggles. Your kids are sure to love the slapstick and potty humor - even if you don't. And the ending, as satisfying as it is corny, reminds us that even if old dogs can't learn new tricks...people certainly can.
Besides with fewer options for the crowd stuck between watching the Lion King and Twilight, Old Dogs should be top of the list for any family movie night.
-Sylvia
P.S. This movie is a popcorn combo!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Netflix Pick: No Impact Man
Viewer,
Imagine if you will a man who was willing to forgo most common comforts for the sake of improving the planet. How would he do it? Go on a pilgrimage maybe, search for answers on the top of a mountain?
No, he does it by cutting off his electricity in lower Manhattan.
That's the story of No Impact Man. A documentary filmed in 2009 and available on Netflix.
Colin Beavan was a writer of non-fiction and Internet blogger when the idea hit him to decrease his environmental impact to zero.
Not lower it, like a credit score. Not like cholesterol, no, he wants to make no impact on a struggling eco-system. Pun intended.
To his credit he does it incrementally, first changing the way he eats, and buys food. It is a gradual growth he undertakes to change his life.
Problem is, he's married to a pop-culture/coffee junkie and has a young baby while living in one of the most populated and cosmopolitan centers on Earth.
The story of Beavan and his family is an engaging one, with small lessons about how to be better for our environment sprinkled throughout.
While it is important for the question "how much consumption is too much consumption?" to be raised. It also, without trying, makes you wonder who else could do this but someone with enough money to shop at a farmer's market, or go to upstate New York and go directly to a farm to get real milk.
And should someone undertake that kind of transformation when they have a baby on board?
It's definitely a conversation starter, the kind of movie that starts good debates and some self exploration. It's also the kind of movie that makes you feel bad for the bottle of water you're drinking.
-Paul
P.S. This movie is a Popcorn Combo. Give it a look.
Imagine if you will a man who was willing to forgo most common comforts for the sake of improving the planet. How would he do it? Go on a pilgrimage maybe, search for answers on the top of a mountain?
No, he does it by cutting off his electricity in lower Manhattan.
That's the story of No Impact Man. A documentary filmed in 2009 and available on Netflix.
Colin Beavan was a writer of non-fiction and Internet blogger when the idea hit him to decrease his environmental impact to zero.
Not lower it, like a credit score. Not like cholesterol, no, he wants to make no impact on a struggling eco-system. Pun intended.
To his credit he does it incrementally, first changing the way he eats, and buys food. It is a gradual growth he undertakes to change his life.
Problem is, he's married to a pop-culture/coffee junkie and has a young baby while living in one of the most populated and cosmopolitan centers on Earth.
The story of Beavan and his family is an engaging one, with small lessons about how to be better for our environment sprinkled throughout.
While it is important for the question "how much consumption is too much consumption?" to be raised. It also, without trying, makes you wonder who else could do this but someone with enough money to shop at a farmer's market, or go to upstate New York and go directly to a farm to get real milk.
And should someone undertake that kind of transformation when they have a baby on board?
It's definitely a conversation starter, the kind of movie that starts good debates and some self exploration. It's also the kind of movie that makes you feel bad for the bottle of water you're drinking.
-Paul
P.S. This movie is a Popcorn Combo. Give it a look.
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