How to Train Your Dragon

DreamWorks Animation

Rated PG

Running time: 98 minutes






Click below to watch the How to Train Your Dragon trailer.



DreamWorks animated film How to Train Your Dragon is the story about Hiccup, Jay Baruchel, an enthusiastic 98 pound weakling apprentice in a village of aggressive Vikings. Hiccup wants to kill a fire breathing dragon in order to get the girl of his dreams, America Ferrera, although she is pretty tough herself and wants to kill her own dragon. However, Hiccup's attitude about killing dragons changes once he meets and befriends one of the most dangerous dragons there is.

This is basically a story of a boy and his dog, with the story being a cross between a children's version of Avatar and Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern book series, along with a feeling of Harry Potter. Although, the movie is more of an adult film rather than a children's film with the Vikings searching for the nest of dragons so the Vikings can kill them. The most dangerous dragon there is, does eventually become like a big dog for Hiccup - while the Vikings become the predators for the dragons. There is a lot of action involved with the dragons, and also with the competitive funny young dragon-killer trainees, along with an action packed climax. I enjoyed this film, and totally related with Hiccup and his hero's journey throughout the movie in his wanting to prove himself. Rated PG for violence.

Running time: 98 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Avatar

20th Century-Fox Film Corporation

Rated PG-13

Running time: 162 minutes


















Click below to watch the Avatar trailer.



James Cameron's Avatar, by 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation, is about Marine paraplegic Sam Worthington going to the planet Pandora to join the Avatar program - a program in which he inhabits a native giant body avatar. The humans on the planet are mining a rare mineral and the Marines provide security for them. Worthington is assigned to make contact with the natives and as he learns and interacts with the natives - Worthington realizes he is on the wrong side.

This is basically the story of the Vietnam war, or of any superior culture overwhelming a primitive society. It was much more interesting watching the scientists and Worthington learning about the natives and the planet, than it was in dealing with the Marines who were hardly shown during the first half of the film. The only Marines you really get to know are Worthington's friends, including the woman Marine pilot Michelle Rodriguez. You also get to know the Marine Colonel in charge Stephen Lang. Worthington in the beginning was not believable as a veteran Marine with extensive experience. This was especially in contrast with the trailer of The National Guard that was being shown at my screening just before the movie started, and of how professional the Guard are. As the alien Zoe Saldana told the inexperienced Worthington, "You are a baby!" While not being in the military, I have a feeling that the depiction of the Marines used in the movie is not entirely accurate. But after a rigorous training by Saldana to make Worthington become one of her people, Worthington becomes the resourceful hero Worthington is destined to be.

On a technical level, I saw this movie in 3-D. It is rare that I watch a 3-D movie, it all depends on what movie is available at the time I am able to go to the movies. The real D 3D glasses that I was given were able to fit over my glasses, but did not fit properly and I had to hold the glasses in place for me to watch the movie comfortably. As a movie-goer, holding the glasses is rather tiresome and most of the time I just let go of the glasses and not watch the top of the screen. Traditional 2 dimensional film making does not always work for a 3-D movie, but for the most part the movie was enjoyable in 3-D.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 162 minutes


Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

The Book of Eli

Rated R

Warner Bros. Pictures

Running time: 118 minutes

In a post-apocalyptic world, Denzel Washington travels across the devastated country to deliver a book - of which some aggressive survivors want to procure.

The first act of The Book of Eli is very slow as Denzel just basically survives among the ruins. It is only when he arrives at a village that a story begins. You slowly learn about the war that devestated the world, and about Denzel's purpose in life as he travels in a land of illiterates. Why the land is full of illiterates I did not understand. Savage survivalists I could understand, but not illiterates. The movie reminds me of Mad Max and The Road Warrior. Sadly, the women in this post-apocalyptic film are basically objects to be used by the men stronger than them. Mila Kunis's character is one such character, used by Gary Oldman to learn more about Denzel and his book, until she runs away to travel in the safety of Denzel's protection. What happens with Denzel towards the end of the movie is unbelievable, unless he has some sort of powers that were not explained in the movie.

Denzel rigorously trained with Bruce Lee's prodigy Dan Inosanto and supposedly did his own stunts. Unfortunately with the editing, you can not really see Denzel's martial moves that actually shows this training. With the editing that was used - anybody without training could have performed those moves, so it was hard to tell of Denzel's training. The movie is much more of an intellectual film rather than an action film. However, even with the intellectualism of the film, the movie is very graphic.

Rated R for violence. Running time: 118 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Surrogates

Touchstone Pictures

Rated PG-13

Running time: 89 minutes



Touchstone Pictures Surrogates is about a world where androids are remote-controlled by human operators in all walks of life. The operators live their lives vicariously through their surrogates in both work and through pleasure with the surrogates assuming all the risk and danger, such as in war, while their operators are safe far away at home. When two surrogates are destroyed - killing their operators in the process - a discrete investigation into the deaths by FBI agent Bruce Willis is conducted before more operators get killed.

Surrogates is a combination of I, Robot and Live Free or Die Hard, with the implications that of living with technology - will eventually take over your life. The Amish style territories that are without technology reminds us of how to get back to nature, or at least with just being human. The surrogates look like young supermodels - while their operators are old, and not so pretty people. The surrogates also do not even have to represent who their operators really are - as Bruce makes a comment to a surrogate lawyer that Bruce really does not know what the woman lawyer really looks like, "I hate lawyers," Bruce later says. The best part of the movie was the introduction of the movie where, through the media, the movie explains how the surrogate phenomenon was created. It is one of the best introductions of a scientific concept that I have seen for a science fiction movie. That setup particularly had to be made - as owning a "surrogate" is big business and must cost at least the amount of a car with the whole world having them, as they had "reports" of surrogates from other countries. Aside from these concepts, the thriller aspect of the movie is a rather standard thriller, and is a fairly predictable thriller film as Bruce searches for the bad guys. The physical leaps and bounds made by the surrogates are pretty cool, although I grew up with the idea that these leaps and bounds would be done by superheroes rather than by android surrogates.

Rated PG-13 for violence. Running time: 89 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Shorts

Warner Bros. Pictures

Rated PG

Running time: 89 minutes



Warner Bros. Pictures Shorts is another cute children's film by Robert Rodriguez. Made as a series of short vignettes, Shorts is about some kids finding a wishing rock and the greed everyone has for it.

With the film as a series of vignettes, the shorts are not always shown in sequential order which may make following the story a little confusing. Visually, the effects are better than the earlier of Rodriquez's children films. I liked that Jolie Vanier's character was named Helvetica Black, which is named after the type font. Even though she is named after a type font, Vanier was a sort of bad girl and her name sounded quite evil with the background choir chanting Helvetica, Helvetica as she races her bicycle down the street at night.

While the film has some heavy hitter stars such as James Spader and William H. Macy - Spader and Macy were never promoted in the marketing campaign as far as I know, as I never knew Spader and Macy were involved in the movie. Too bad about this lack of promotion, as they could have brought more interest to the movie with the adult audience - as well as getting more box office for the movie.

Rated PG. Running time: 89 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Pancho's Movie Reviews

The Ugly Truth

Columbia Pictures

Rated R

Running time: 96 minutes


Columbia Pictures The Ugly Truth is about male chauvinist TV host Gerard Butler trying to teach his driven uptight woman TV producer Katherine Heigl on how to pick up guys.

This is a cute predictable romantic comedy set in the TV industry. The behind-the-scene aspects of the TV industry is fairly accurate of the industry in dealing with the egos in the TV industry and the business-driven concerns for TV ratings dollars. While there are child actors in the film, this is not a children's movie as the film deals with adult themes so you do not want to bring your kids to this movie to watch the kid actors.

Rated R for sexual situations. Running time: 96 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

Pancho's Movie Reviews

Funny People

Universal Pictures

Rated R

Running time: 146 minutes



Universal Pictures Funny People starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen is about comedian Adam Sandler who finds out he has a rare blood disease and hires fellow comedian Seth Rogen to write his jokes, but swears Rogen to secrecy about Sandler's disease. The marketing campaign makes the movie seem as more of a comedy, but this is really a dramatic film with Adam Sandler in his most dramatic role that I have ever seen him in. The comedy routines by the comedians can be funny, but do not expect the movie to be a laugh riot.

The first half of the movie deals with Sandler's life as a comedian, while the second half deals with Sandler's ex-girlfriend Leslie Mann who now has her own family. The film is also a long movie. I did not check my watch, but I did keep wondering towards the second half of the movie "when is this over?" The family aspect of the movie was interesting, but that made the film too long and the family storyline is good enough for a movie to be developed on it's own.

Rated R for language. Running time: 146 minutes.

Pancho
All people smile in the same language.

 Pancho's Movie Reviews