Megamind

Megamind
Year: 2010
Director: Tom McGrath
Cast: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill

In My Own Words
Animation seems to be going in a new direction as of late, hasn't it? There seems to be a lack of the cute and cuddley talking animals which we used to see in the animated films in the last few decades. Now it seems to be the bad guys who are the lead characters in these films who become the heroes and they are anything but cute and cuddley. Just look at Megamind, blue with a massive forehead, hardly what would seem a promoters dream. Cute characters are so much easier to make promotional toys for Happy Meals of and have more staying power. Will we remember these characters in 20 years time which we are seeing now in the same way we remember Little Foot, Simba or the Disney princesses? They're doing their job for the film makers at the moment though, so does it really matter whether we remember them in 20 years just as long as we remember them now? Not cute and cuddley, but the movies around the characters are still great fun and good entertainment!

Anybody know what the toys are in the McDonalds Happy Meals now? I suddenly have an urge to start collecting those awesome toys again.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
It is a scenario which we see in numerous films, the underdog falls in love with the beautiful woman, proves himself as the hero but it doesn't matter because she falls in love with who he is underneath. We have seen this a lot, but not so much in animated films. It is not often we see the ugly animated character get the gorgeous girl, but you do in "Megamind"! The film does fit into the animation trend as of late of the bad guy becoming the good guy, but gives it the twist with this unsung hero getting the girl, which will do good things for peoples self esteem. Even if you are blue with a massive forehead and alien looking you can still get the one you love by being yourself! Megamind (voiced by Will Ferrell) has never been good at anything besides being bad. The means of his existence is to fight with Metro Man (Brad Pitt), but when he actually defeats Metro Man, he is completely confused by his new found dominance and lost for what to do next. He decides to create a new super hero for the town, Titan (Jonah Hill) so he will have someone to fight. One thing he didn't count on was failing in love with Titan's crush, news reporter Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey) and bringing out more bad in Titan than Megamind ever had.

"Megamind" is a great, fun family film to watch. It is not just a film for children as their are many themes there for adults as well, such as the romance theme which children will of course be unable to relate to. The graphics are amazing in the film and it is one film which is worth seeing in 3D while it is in the cinemas. It is well written and has a lot of great laughs throughout. However, the ending won't be a surprise to anyone and will be something most people will see coming from the very beginning.

"Megamind" has some big names which have contributed their vocal talents to the film. The one thing that is obvious with this is that with each of the cast members, they do not seem to go the extra mile with their characters voices. Each of them, bar perhaps Will Ferrell , plays the type of character they would normally play in a film which they would physically appear in and it is easy to pick who's voice is which. For example, Brad Pitt plays the good looking hero, Tina Fey plays the businesswoman who has too little time for her personal life and Jonah Hill plays the overweight nerd who can't be taken seriouslyh. Will Ferrell does definately do a good job at providing the voice of Megamind and, unlike the others, you can often forget that it is Ferrell's voice you are hearing.

If you are taking your children to see "Megamind", you will probably find that it is more a boys movie than a girls movie. Children aside, it is a film that all ages will enjoy. The graphics are great to watch and the script is witty and funny. Overall, besides the romance, it isn't the most original film to come out in the last few years and it is quite predictable, but definately good for a laugh.
7/10

The Other Guys

The Other Guys
Year: 2010
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton

In My Own Words
I love a movie which gets mixed reviews. I’m not referring to the movie reviews you see on TV or read in magazines, but the reviews from the people who really matter in your life. The one’s who’s opinions you really care about like your family and your friends. The majority of people will listen more to the ones close to them regarding whether they should see a film rather than the media. So it intrigued me to no end when one half of the people I know tell me to see a movie and the other half tell me to wait until the DVD. When a situation like this arises, damn it I am going to see the movie at the cinema! If someone normally hears that a movie is bad from a friend, they normally won’t see it, even if someone else they know says that it is good. Me on the other hand, my mind works another way when it comes to movies. If people are conflicted on whether it is good or not, then I’m sure there is going to be plenty to talk about after I see the film! Nothing like a good debate about film! Who needs parliamentary question time when we can all sit around and talk about movies? Maybe if Australia had got Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott to discuss their favourite movies before the election, it would have been over and done with a lot quicker.

Maybe the difference in opinion for many people in this film comes from whether they are Will Ferrell fans or not. I don’t believe Mr Ferrell’s humour is quite for everyone. He does definitely have a cult following though. However, like everything, there is always one film which will break through the haters expectations and a wider audience will enjoy it. I don’t think this is one of those films though.

These are my own words and here is my review.

Review
“The Other Guys” is funny. There is no denying that, but oh does it try hard to be. Subtlety is definitely not the order of the day in this film and although it is not a fantastic film, it is not a complete dud either. Allen Gamble (Will Ferrell) and Terry Hoitz (Mark Wahlberg) are two cops who are not the heroes and do not have any hope of being so. They are always in the background watching everyone else take all the credit and are the laughing stock of their beat. Not only that, but they intensely dislike each other. Even when they do happen to tap into something that doesn’t seem quite right, no one seems to take any notice of them. Gamble and Hoitz find that by working together and remaining outcasts, they are actually able to accomplish more than what they and anybody else would’ve thought.

“The Other Guys” tries very hard to be funny. This is more so at the beginning of the film where the jokes just seem predictable, old and forced. It is as though director and writer Adam McKay was almost worried that people wouldn’t find the movie funny, so he had to try and cram as many things that the audience may find funny in so that he couldn’t lose. However, this lack of subtle humour seems to calm down towards the middle of the film and there are actually some very funny parts. The film is not deep by any means and one cannot take it seriously, mainly because of the presence of Will Ferrell. Not to say that Ferrell cannot do a serious film or carry on a serious role, because he did so in “Stranger Than Fiction”, but in a film which is first and foremost a comedy and has him in it, there is no hope for a tearful moment. There is definitely good character development though. Each main character has a back story and an entertaining one at that which does make the film more enjoyable to watch. The special effects and action sequences are very impressive, but unfortunately there isn’t nearly enough of them throughout the film.

Will Ferrell is much like he is in the majority of his other films. He is very funny in parts of the film, but he doesn’t give anything in “The Other Guys” that sets his role as Allen Gamble apart from his others. Gamble is a very entertaining character and it is obvious that no one else could have played this role besides Ferrell. He does play it perfectly to his ability, but it won’t be one of the characters he will always be remembered for. Mark Wahlberg gives an easy performance in his role as Terry Hoitz. It is a different role compared to what he has done in the last few years and it is interesting to see him in a comedy role. He is not the funniest person in the film, but doesn’t do a bad job by all means. Eva Mendes plays Gamble’s wife, Sheila and although Mendes isn’t known for her comedy roles, is really quite funny. However, it is almost painful to see Michael Keaton in a role such as this.

“The Other Guys” could almost be described as a try hard comedy in its first half, but redeems itself in its latter half. It’s interesting and colourful characters also help to save this film from being completely terrible. It could be so much better than what it is, but those who love Will Ferrell movies will love it.
5/10