Despicable Me 3 (2017)

Directed by: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin, & Eric Guillon

Written by: Cinco Paul & Ken Daurio

Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, & Trey Parker




The last time we saw Gru (Carell) was when he was marrying Lucy (Wiig).  Married and happy with their three little girls, Gru and Lucy have tougher challenges to face as they are both fired from the Anti-Villan League (AVL).  Interestingly enough, Gru is contacted by his long lost twin brother Dru (Carell) who explains that being a villain is in their blood.  Can Gru overcome his new hero persona and become a villain again or is Lucy's influence too strong for him to ever go back to the dark side?

It was a cute movie.  I say better than the second film, but not better than the first.

Of course the animation was great.  I didn't see any problems, but the story was just meh.  I did really like the villain this time though: Balthazar Bratt (Parker) and his backstory from the 80s.  He pretty much made the film, in my opinion, more than Dru.

So for adults I would say it's an okay film.  For kids, they loved it.  They were laughing through the whole thing, mostly with Balthazar Bratt and the minions.

3 popcorns.

*** Make sure to follow me to get a first look as to whether the film is worth it.  Click on "follow" in the left hand column.

Sing (2016)

Directed by: Christophe Lourdelet & Garth Jennings

Written by: Garth Jennings

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, & Seth McFarlane




When Mr. Moon's (McConaughey) theater is in trouble, he sets up a singing competition to bring in crowds.  But various obstacles stand in his way that might bring his theater to a close.

This movie is cute.  That's the best way to describe it.

I felt that there needed to be more auditions though.  The way the film went was there were auditions, he picked a couple animals and then suddenly it was the finals!  The film felt crammed in that sense, that it went too fast because it wanted to get everyone's storylines in.

But the characters were relatable and likable.  Even the ones you think you won't like, you end up liking at some point.

I think this is a more rentable film, therefore 3 popcorns.

Moana (2016)

Directed by: Ron Clements, Don Hall, John Musker, & Chris Williams

Written by: Jared Bush, Ron Clements (story), John Musker (story), Chris Williams (story), Don Hall (story), Pamela Ribon (story), Aaron Kandell (story), & Jordan Kandell (story)

Starring: Auli'i Cravalho & Dwayne Johnson


Finally another Disney film!

Moana (Cravalho) is on a quest to save her people by searching for the Demi-god Maui (Johnson) in order to convince him to give back the heart of Te Fiti.

This princess is lovable, funny, charming, and beautiful.  She shows that you don't need a man to rescue your village.  Maui isn't that helpful and there is no romance in the film, which is the nice trend that Disney continues.

Overall, I liked the film, except the crab part.  The crab looked more like a snail and creeped me out.  I guess it was supposed to be the villain, but it was barely in the film that it seemed unnecessary.  Couldn't they have created something else?

The person I went with noted that Maui was ugly and why couldn't he look more like Johnson.  My guess was because they didn't want the audience to think their relationship could develop romantically.  I thought he looked find.

Amazing music and very catchy.  Beautifully done, except the crab part.  4 popcorns.

Sausage Party (2016)

Directed by: Greg Tiernan & Conrad Vernon

Written by: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, & Jonah Hill (story)

Starring: Seth Rogen & Kristen Wiig







When Frank (Rogen) discovers the truth that food is murdered once it goes to the Great Beyond (a.k.a. out of the supermarket), he sets out to alert everyone to save themselves and destroy the monsters (a.k.a. humans).

Well this film is definitely not for kids.

When I first saw the trailer, I thought that the main character, Frank, the sausage, would have been taken to a human's home and that's how he discovered the truth.  But nope, he stays in the supermarket.  So in that case the trailer is a little misleading, but the story is better with him being in the market rather than out of it.

Interestingly enough the writers made all the food equal to their ethnicities, such as soy sauce being Asian.  So of course as in the real world, there will be some racist jokes and hatred among the different food.  But I liked the message at the end where Frank says that they all need to become united against the monsters.  It kind of relates to modern society where we all need to stand together against any problem.  Race cannot get in the way.

Also I liked how there was a variety of relationships.  It wasn't just your standard sausage and bun, which, again, also represents our society today.  Our world is reflected in a rated-R animation.

Most of the funny parts were due to the outrageous scenes that the film had.  Like you couldn't believe this was a movie about animated food.  It was still funny, but you shouldn't watch it with your kids and probably not your parents either.

3 popcorns.

The Secret Life of Pets (2016)

Directed by: Yarrow Cheney & Chris Renauld

Written by: Cinco Paul, Ken Daurio, & Brian Lynch

Starring: Louis C. K., Eric Stonestreet, & Kevin Hart








The Secret Life of Pets is a cute family movie that's great for kids and adults alike, as long as you've had a pet or like animals that is.

Max (C. K.) is happy being the only dog in Katie's (Ellie Kemper) life.  They do everything together. But one day, Katie comes home with a new dog, Duke (Stonestreet).  When Duke begins taking over Max's home, Max devises a plan to show him who the real alpha dog is.  One day, while the dog walker is distracted, Duke takes Max on a ride and throws him away in a trash can.  But when cats steal their collars, animal control is after them.  Will they ever be able to get back to Katie or will they end up lost in the pound?

My favorite characters are Chloe (Lake Bell), the cat, and Gidget (Jenny Slate), the Pomeranian.  The cat acts just like mine with trying to fit in boxes, getting toys stuck to her nails, and more.  Gidget is just a love crazy dog who will do anything to find Max.

But Max and Duke are great protagonists that eventually get a character arc.  The story makes sense with everyone trying to find them from animal control to Snowball (Kevin Hart), the crazed bunny who hates humans and their pets, to Gidget and their other animal friends.

It isn't an amazing movie or anything, but it did pull at the heartstrings when I saw owners with their pets because you think of your pet.  But it isn't like anything is wrong with it.  I thought it was creative how they combined Illumination films in the story line for marketing purposes, the issue of what happens to pets that are abandoned, and more.  3 popcorns.

Finding Dory (2016)

Directed by: Andrew Stanton & Angus MacLane

Written by: Andrew Stanton, Victoria Strouse, Bob Peterson (additional material), & Angus MacLane (additional material)

Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, & Ed O'Neill






A year after Finding Nemo, Dory is asked the important question of where she comes from.  Not knowing, Dory sets out on a quest to remember and find her parents.

I love Dory.  Who doesn't love Dory?

Anyway, the movie is entertaining.  There a few hilarious parts and some sad parts.  The story is clear and the conclusion makes sense.  Plus, the main characters: Dory (DeGeneres), Marlin (Brooks), and Hank (O'Neill) all have character arcs.  Some minor characters do too.

There isn't much to say about this film.  It's a great Pixar film and is beautifully done.  Even though it is the number one animated film ever according to the box office, I didn't think it was as good as the original and some other Pixar films.  Not sure why.

Oh well.  But I did really like the Pixar short, Piper, at the beginning of the film.  Super cute.  Piper would get 5 popcorns, but Finding Dory gets 4.

Angry Birds (2016)

Directed by: Clay Kaytis & Fergal Reilly

Written by: John Cohen (story), Mikael Hed (story), Mikko Polla (story), & Jon Vitti

Starring: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, & Danny McBride







I used to play this game a few years ago when it was hot and whatnot, but I sucked, so I gave it up.  But of course, I had to see the film because of that.

Red (Sudeikis) hates life.  He hates the other birds, but at the same time he tries to stay calm.  After ruining a birthday party, he is subjected to anger management and of course, he hates it.  While in anger management, a ship comes to Bird Island and out comes two pigs, Leonard and Ross.  The birds try to be friendly with the pigs, but once the pigs start stealing their eggs, it's time for the birds to get angry.

The animation is great technical wise, but the plot is not amazing.  It does coordinate well with the game though; in the sense that the birds shoot themselves to destroy the pigs and their buildings.

Also I liked the variety of characters that they had along with their personalities.  It kept the story interesting with how all the birds get along.  Also interesting is that there are different types of birds and not just the same one, but a different color.  For example, Chuck (Gad) is a woodpecker while Red is, I'm guessing, a red robin.

It's good for a children's movie, but otherwise not really Oscar worthy.  Great to rent if you want something to watch without too much concentration and a couple of laughs.  3 popcorns.

Zootopia (2016)

Directed by: Bryon Howard & Rich Moore

Written by: Jared Bush, Phil Johnston, Bryon Howard (story), Rich Moore (story), Jennifer Lee (story), Josie Trinidad (story), & Jim Reardon (story)

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin & Jason Bateman






Zootopia follows the dreams of Judy Hopps (Goodwin), a small town bunny turned police officer on her way to the famous Zootopia, where predators and prey all get along.  For her first case, she is in search of a missing otter along with 13 other animals.  As her first lead, she heads for an infamous clever fox, Nick Wilde (Bateman). They must work together to find these animals and the culprit behind the kidnappings.

Oh my gosh guys, I love Jennifer Lee.  She is just on a roll.  Am I right?  First she did Wreck-It Ralph and then Frozen.  Now she's come up with this great story, supposedly among others, but c'mon, I say it's probably all her.

This film is more for adults than it is for children.  The little girl next to me said, "I'm bored.  I want to go home."  And I could see why.  The concept of the film is probably too complicated for children. It's animated and everything with cute characters, but the whole investigation of these missing animals is beyond a kid's comprehension depending on their age of course.

What I loved most about this film, besides my second favorite actress being in it (Ginnifer Goodwin), is the hidden relative meaning behind it.  It's racism!  But with animals.

How clever.  Considering how in today's society, at least in the U.S., there's the Black Lives Matter campaign and the tension with minorities and police officers.  I wonder if anyone else got that...

I recommend seeing this film, but don't bring your kids.  They won't get it unless they're super smart. And if they're not, or too young, they are just going to cry and ruin it for everyone else.  Don't bring them.  Rent with them.

The reason for 4 popcorns is I loved everything about it, but it didn't make me feel emotional at all.  I didn't cry, which is kind of the criteria for a 5 popcorn movie.

4 popcorns.

The Peanuts Movie (2015)

Directed by: Steve Martino

Written by: Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz, Cornelius Uliano, & Charles M. Schulz (comic strip)

Starring: Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez, & Francesca Capaldi






The characters are sooooo cute!  I love Charlie Brown, Lucy, and the rest of the gang.  But this movie was not great.

Charlie Brown and the rest of his friends are in school, when a new girl shows up.  We never get the name of the new girl other than her being referred to as the little red-haired girl.  For most of the film, Charlie Brown tries to impress her in order to get her attention.

Even though the characters are super cute, we didn't get to see the little red-haired girl's face for half the movie!  She was pretty much never around or always in the audience.  I was just tired of waiting for this budding romance that took forever to happen, well kind of happen.  I think another problem was that Charlie Brown was trying to impress her with too many things too many times.  He tried dancing, talent show, book report, going to her door, flying a kite and probably some other things that I forgot.  It was just too much.

Another issue I had with the film was Snoopy and Woodstalk's own little story.  The film kept intercrossing between the two and I just wanted to focus on Charlie Brown's story.  Maybe if it was a different Snoopy story other than him writing a book it'd be better.

It's cute and all, but boring and tedious.  1 popcorn.

The Good Dinosaur (2015)

Directed by: Peter Sohn

Written by: Peter Sohn, Erik Benson, Meg LeFauve, Kelsey Mann, & Bob Peterson

Starring: Raymond Ochoa & Jack Bright






I think out of all the Pixar movies I've seen, this one is the least liked.  I'm not trying to say it was the worst and make it sound bad because Pixar films are never bad, but every other Pixar film that has been made is better.

Arlo, the good dinosaur voiced by Ochoa, is the smallest and most cowardly of his family.  He tries to impress them, but he ends up being too scared to actually prove himself.  One day, his father grows tired of Arlo's fear and tries to make him stand up for himself, but fails.  Later, when Arlo gets separated from his family due to a caveman human named Spot, voiced by Bright, he has to face his fear if he is ever going to get home.

This movie is beautiful.  The colors, the lighting, the landscape are all gorgeous.  Some trees and water actually looked real; it was that amazing.

As for the actual plot, I was a little disappointed.  For some reason I thought it would be more heart wrenching.  Before seeing this film, I did get some sneak peaks from my school when a Pixar employee visited, but I didn't think that affected my viewpoint of this film.

The film kind of dragged and it seemed pretty obvious of what was going to happen.  Maybe it was supposed to be obvious, I mean it is a children's movie, but it was just a tad boring.  But still beautiful.  That's pretty much all I can say about it.  Boring and beautiful.  2 popcorns.